Manchester United’s players go up to collect their medals. Jose Mourinho’s holding up three fingers in acknowledgement in his sort of treble. His players follow suit. Then it’s time for Wayne Rooney to hoist the trophy into the air. He’s not had the greatest season, nor has he made much of a contribution tonight, but he deserved the honour of leading the celebrations after everything he’s given to United. It’s a feelgood moment. It’s what football’s about. Manchester can celebrate tonight. I’ll leave them to it. That’s all from me. Thanks for reading and emailing. Bye.
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Ajax’s disappointed youngsters are collecting their runners-up medals. They’re being consoled by Edwin van der Sar. It’s been a fine season for them, but it’s just a shame they’ve come up short in both the league and Europe, losing this final and finishing second to Feyernoord in the Eredivisie. Hopefully Peter Bosz can keep this team together and develop them further. You can bet they’ll be back next season.
Manchester United join Chelsea in winning all four European trophies. Taken their time. I suppose they also won the World Cup, or whatever it’s called, twice.
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Pogba’s off for a huge chuckling hug with Mourinho. It’s Mourinho’s fourth European trophy. It isn’t his biggest - it can’t match a Champions League with Porto - but there’s no debating its significance for United.
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“We know things like this are very sad all over the world, not only in Manchester but also in Paris,” Pogba says. “We won for them. We played for the country. We won for them. We played for them, the people who died.”
“Thank you to my team-mates because without them I could not have scored so many goals,” says Henrikh Mkhitaryan. “Everyone said I was going to score in the final and I did thanks to my team-mates. Now we are playing in the Champions League next year.”
“We knew we were going to play Europa League,” says Paul Pogba. “Our goal was to win. We are very proud. Nobody can talk. They say we have a bad season but we have three trophies. The start was very important. We scored early. We started to play backwards. We scored the second goal with Miki and we controlled the game.”
Manchester United undoubtedly deserved this - they outplayed and out-thought Ajax with a streetwise, experienced performance - and they feel like fitting winners too. After everything that’s happened, this is a welcome moment of positivity for the city of Manchester.
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Full-time: Ajax 0-2 Manchester United! Manchester United have won the Europa League!
Manchester United have done it! They’re back in the Champions League! Jose Mourinho’s on the pitch! His assistants are chucking him up and down in the air. This appears to mean a lot. His son runs on to the pitch and Mourinho bundles him to the floor in a huge embrace. United’s manager has got quite emotional here, the old softie.
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90 min+4: Ibrahimovic is wandering around the United bench, a huge smile on his face, his crutches in one hand, celebrating with the rest of his team-mates.
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90 min+1: There will be four added minutes, but this has felt inevitable ever since Pogba’s opener.
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90 min: Before the corner can be taken, Wayne Rooney replaces Juan Mata for what may well be his farewell appearance in a United shirt.
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89 min: Mata wins a corner on the left.
88 min: Wayne Rooney is getting ready to come on.
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87 min: Martial pierces Ajax’s high line with a ball through to Lingard, who’s clean through on goal. He loves a goal in a final, but Sanchez speeds back to cleanly tackle him as he prepares to shoot! Ajax steam up the other end, Van der Beek stepping cleverly inside Smalling, only to curl straight at Romero from close range.
85 min: “I was born in Urmston, Manchester and my earliest memories are of entertaining, age three, football fans from my 2nd floor window as they streamed by each Saturday to the match down the road at Old Trafford,” says Rolf Hughes. “Mutual waving and dancing as I recall - they were a game crowd. That would be 1966. I left in ‘72 but kept Manchester somehow in my DNA. Years later I returned with my three sons (all, coincidentally, Man Utd supporters even though all three born in Sweden - the oldest two in Stockholm, as it happens), and we have developed a strong connection with the city for most of the reasons already mentioned elsewhere. We had a terror attack in Stockholm a few weeks back. Then the atrocity in Manchester Monday night. The reaction of locals in both cases has been very moving and cause for optimism despite these trying times.”
84 min: Marcus Rashford, who’s given his all this evening, is replaced by Anthony Martial.
83 min: Sanchez’s shot whistles over.
81 min: De Ligt’s hopeful effort from long range drifts over. Frenkie de Jong replaces Riedewald.
80 min: Ziyech looks for Nere’s run. It’s headed behind by Blind. Corner to Ajax. It reaches Van der Beek on the right, but his shot’s blocked.
77 min: Notorious hatchet man Juan Mata catches De Ligt with a late, high challenge on the left, sparking a minor brawl between members of both times. Mata’s booked. So’s Riedewald.
75 min: Will Ajax score? They always score.
74 min: Jesse Lingard replaces Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
72 min: Ziyech’s low free-kick hits one of his own players in the wall.
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71 min: The ball flies around in the air on the edge of the United box and when no advantage comes Ajax’s way, the referee penalises Mkhitaryan for handball just outside the area. The free-kick’s inside the D.
70 min: Donny Van de Beek replaces Lasse Schone.
68 min: Traore almost wriggles through, but the ball’s shuffled behind for a corner. “I worry about older football fans. Have they grown up on a diet of grainy, black and white broadcasts, muddy pitches and leg breaking tackles with nary a goal to be seen?” says Matthew Turner. “As a youngster of 43 I’m all flash and dazzle but I remember when there used be a manager who liked his teams to play on the front foot and score goals. He might even have been at this same club. He never amounted to much though so United fans are right to praise careful husbandry on offer now. It’s not in the least tedious.”
66 min: Ziyech’s harmless floater drifts over.
65 min: Pogba’s cross from the right finds Fellaini in the middle, but he bonces the ball straight at Onana! What a chance!
64 min: Younes is booked for fouling Valencia. This isn’t happening for Ajax. They are Monaco in 2004, Bayern in 2010.
63 min: “Many memories, musical, sporting and night outing,” says John Parry. “But the lot has to be topped by my dad taking me for my first match in the 1st Division in September 1971. Then aged 9, I was to witness a George Best hat trick in a 4-2 win with Charlton scoring the other. Immediate love, the excitement of that player only really being rekindled again by Eric, whose message to Manchester this week is without equal. As a footnote, Harry Redknapp later asserted that George hadn’t been to bed that night, having spent it on the Manchester tiles. He still battered them.”
62 min: The disappointing Kasper Dolberg’s replaced by David Neres.
61 min: Herrera stops Ziyech with a magnificent challenge on the edge of the United area.
59 min: “For all the complaints about Mourinho’s style (over-exaggerated - United have often been excellent and entertaining this year, as even Danny Murphy was stressing on Football Focus at the weekend), aren’t finals about winning, however you manage to do it?” says David Wall.
Name the manager - “Finals are not for playing, they are for winning.”
58 min: Veltman’s booked for tripping Mata. “I worry about the football knowledge of guardian readers these days,” says Philip Brennan. “Have they watched actual football matches or have they grown up on a diet of mad highlights reels with a goal every 5 seconds? Ah well.”
57 min: Pogba takes too long to clear on the left. Too casual, he ends up rolling the ball behind for a corner. Mourinho is livid. It’s a good job the corner comes to nothing.
55 min: “Manchester, Manchester, Manchester,” cry the United fans.
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53 min: Traore’s deflected effort from 20 yards is easily gathered by Romero. “Unless Ajax’s young goal-getters snap out of it pronto, their off-season theme song is gonna be Cruel Summer by Onana-rama,” says Peter Oh.
52 min: Schone wriggles away from Fellaini in midfield. Fellaini chops him down and picks up a booking. The ball’s lifted into the United area by Ziyech and Younes goes down. Nothing doing.
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51 min: “I was born in Manchester and am fiercely proud of my city,” says Barrie Monks. “I moved away from Manchester in 1981 but still love the city of my birth. Recently though, the comments from people living in Manchester after the bombing has made me question whether I have the right to champion Manchester seeing as I left it so long ago (if you love it so much why did you leave?). But, I am Mancunian and will always be Mancunian. I love the city and its people and will do until the day I die.”
49 min: Ajax are rocking. Rashford threatens to speed away down the left, but Sanchez sticks out a telescopic leg and nicks it away from him.
GOAL! Ajax 0-2 Manchester United (Mkhitaryan, 48 min)
For once, Manchester United get the cushion of a second goal! Mata’s curling corner from the left is met by Smalling and his downward header drops into the six yard box. With his back to goal, Mkhitaryan evokes Andy Cole at Middlesbrough in 1996 by hooking the ball high past the helpless Onana!
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47 min: Fellaini threatens to bustle through after a spot of head tennis on the edge of the Ajax area. Sanchez hacks behind for a corner. And...
46 min: Ajax get the second half underway. The Ajax fans behind Romero’s goal have let a flare off. Red smoke is billowing on to the pitch.
Half-time emails
“It’s hard to determine which of these sides is made up of inexperienced kids or cost hundreds of millions,” says Jerome Mallon. United, although winning, are distinctly mourin... I mean average.”
“The way Mourinho sets out his teams he could suck the joy out of a laughing-gas canister,” says Mark Judd. “It is not good to watch.”
“I feel like I’m watching a League Two play-off final here,” says Phil Thorp. “One team trying to play football - unsuccessfully - frequently passing into touch and to the opposition, and the other lot hoofing it to the big lads up front at every opportunity.”
“You may be right that Ajax have been poor,” says Philip Brennan. “Personally I think Utd have been really good, thereby making Ajax appear poor.”
“Not very in keeping with correspondence this evening, but they may as well give United the cup now,” says Jonny Bull.”Anyone who watched Chelsea under Mourinho or his UEFA Cup win over Celtic with Porto knows how this goes. Ten men behind the ball in defence, niggly fouls, time wasting and long balls to Big Marouane or over the top for Rashford to chase. He’s peerless at winning this sort of game, is Jose, but they’re exceptionally dull affairs. Is this what United fans genuinely want? Is there joy to be had watching this team? Can you enjoy watching one team thoroughly cancel out another? Especially when you remember the ferocious, relentless attacking of the Cantona/Giggs team, the You Can Win Anything With Kids lot, or the Ronaldo/Rooney era?”
Half-time: Ajax 0-1 Manchester United
Manchester United will be the much happier team. Their plan is working, they lead thanks to Paul Pogba’s deflected strike and they are 45 minutes away from winning this trophy. Ajax have been poor. Peter Bosz has plenty to think about as he walks down the tunnel.
45 min: Traore plays a one-two with Klaassen and bursts into the area, but Darmian hares back to insert his body between the Ajax striker and the ball, eventually luring him into making a rash foul.
43 min: The word from those at the ground is that the pitch is awful, which might have something to do with how slowly and inaccurately Ajax are passing the ball.
42 min: A scrappy lull.
39 min: De Ligt knocks a five-yard pass straight out of play. That sums Ajax’s performance up.
37 min: Traore heads on a slalom, beating Pogba on the right. He slithers into the area from the right and briefly looks as though he might be about to score one of the great solo goals, but Blind does just enough to squeeze the ball off his toes. Smalling completes the job with a hefty clearance. Traore looks the likeliest player to get Ajax back into this game.
35 min: Ajax are playing in front of United. They are, to use a Wengerism, playing with the handbrake on.
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34 min: A rare amount of space for Younes on the left. His low ball flashes across the face of goal, though, Dolberg nowhere near it.
33 min: Rashford clambers to his feet again. Ajax could have probably done with him going off.
32 min: Rashford scampers down the left and threatens to break into the area. He’s halted by an expert challenge by De Ligt and appears to have hurt himself.
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31 min: The first yellow card of the evening goes to Mkhitaryan, who’s pushed his luck too far after fouling Veltman again on the right.“I lived in Manchester for 3 years from 1994 to 1997 (not at university but my then girlfriend was).” says Simon Darvill. “I love Manchester, so many great memories but the most Manchester thing ever? We moved into a house within spitting distance of Maine Road. About a week after we moved we went out on an afternoon drinking session, which went on into the night. At some point I went home, a little worse for wear and got to my front door and tried to put my key in the door. It wouldn’t go in the lock. I tried and tried when all of a sudden the door opened. Rather than my girlfriend standing then, there was a middle aged Mancunian man. “What are you doing in my house” I slurred. He explained it most definitely wasn’t my house but his. I told it wasn’t. Very patiently he said it wasn’t. it was his. But this is 12 XXXXXX Street I assured him? No, its 12 YYYYYYY Street. I had missed my road by three streets. If you have every been round there you can understand why it would be easy to lose you street if you were a bit merry. Anyway, he very generously delivered me back to the correct house, much to the amusement of him and my girlfriend. God, I miss Manchester.”
28 min: United’s superior experience looks pivotal at the moment. They’re controlling the game well. Other than that half-chance for Traore, Ajax haven’t threatened.
26 min: Kasper Dolberg hasn’t had a sniff yet. United are very compact and hard to break down.
24 min: Fellaini Carricks a pass out to the right for Valencia, who has space to attack. United’s captain drives past Riedewald and into the area, but Onana beats away his venomous drive. United are playing very well.
22 min: Mkhitaryan concedes a free-kick on the right, bringing down Veltman. Schone’s dangerous cross is put behind for a corner on the left. Ziyech’s delivery’s met by Pogba and Traore sees his shot charged down.
21 min: “Born in Newton Heath, as was United,” says William Kacoullas. “And although almost all of my 50 plus years have been spent in Southern California, Manchester is still home and I spend every summer there. People tend to think I live in paradise...no, as far as I’m concerned a paradise is about the people and Mancunians are the warmest, most passionate, most welcoming I have found. I exercise on those arena steps every day when I’m there...will be a very different experience next time. Manc forever!”
20 min: Ajax, who haven’t really got going here, win a corner on the left Hakim Ziyech sends in an outswinger, but Sanchez heads well over.
GOAL! Ajax 0-1 Manchester United (Pogba, 18 min)
It isn’t tense any more. Although this is a poor goal for Ajax to concede. Riedewald, over on the left, puts his team in trouble with a poor throw inside in a defensive position. United, pressing high, seize possession. Fellaini moves the ball to the unmarked Pogba on the edge of the area and the midfielder’s low left-footer skims off Sanchez and deflects over the helpless Onana. What a waste of money.
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16 min: This, unsurprisingly perhaps, is increasingly tense and cagey.
15 min: Traore schemes on the left, moving it on to Younes on the touchline. Younes, an excellent dribbler, skips brilliantly past Herrera and slips a pass inside to Traore, who’s clear in the area. His fierce, rising shot from the left is straight at Romero, who deals with it comfortably.
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12 min: Ajax attack coherently for the first time. Younes whips a cross in from the left, but Smalling heads away from Klassen.
11 min: Ajax are struggling to do the basics at the moment. “I’ve only ever been to Manchester for gigs (the Deaf Academy is a magnificent venue!) so I can’t lay claim to really ‘getting’ the city, but I am behind them tonight,” says Matt Dony. “At some point, we’ve probably all smirkingly given it the old ‘Some people think football is a matter of life and death...’ schtick, but it simply isn’t. And times like this are powerful, terrible, grotesque reminders of that. I’m a Liverpool fan from South Wales with no love for Mourinho, but I hope they win. I hope they bring a trophy back to Manchester. In the grand scheme of things, a tin pot means very, very little. But it will make at least someone start to smile through the tears. And that’s a beautiful thought.”
10 min: Rashford is looking dangerous. His movement across the front is causing problems for Ajax here. He wins a throw on the left. The ball comes to Mata, who swings a menacing ball into the middle. It’s just too far in front of Fellaini.
8 min: Klassen’s outmuscled in midfield by Fellaini, who knocks a pass over the top to Rashford, who sets off down the right with Sanchez in hot pursuit. Rashford wins the initial battle, but he ends up fouling the Colombian centre-back after trying to beat him for pace.
6 min: The Ajax fans are making a lot of noise. Their team looks less convincing at the moment, mind you, but they’re beginning to settle and get a feel for the ball.
5 min: Pogba muscles his way through a challenge in midfield, but slams a pass out of play on the left.
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3 min: Ajax were expected to make a fast start. Think again. United have come flying out of the traps here. Fellaini wins the ball high on the left and finds Mkhitaryan. He slides a pass into the area for Rashford, who turns and sees his shot blocked.
2 min: Veltman was down for a moment or two, but he slowly gets back to his feet. He’ll continue. Ajax have started shakily, though, and a foul midway inside their half gives United a free-kick. Blind hangs it towards the right of the Ajax area, where Smalling rises and heads into the middle. Onana confidently claims it.
It’s time for the football. Manchester United, all in blue, get the Europa League final underway. They are kicking from right to left in the first half and they’re on the attack straight away! The ball’s lifted into the Ajax area by Mata, looking for Mkhitaryan, and that leads to a collision between Onana and Veltman in the Dutch defence. The ball’s cleared as far as Pogba, who controls well before looping a volley just wide from 25 yards. What a start that would have been!
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The Manchester United fans break out into impromptu applause and chants of support for their city. Can you blame them?
Before we begin, a minutes’s silence in memory of the victims of Monday night’s terrorist attack in Manchester.
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Here come the teams. Ajax and Manchester United, 13 major continental titles between them, about to meet for the first time in a European final. There’s a fine atmosphere inside the aptly named Friends Arena.
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“I’ve never been to Manchester,” says Conal Huetter. “My relationship with the city comes primarily from supporting United for over 20 years, and also my love of The Smiths that developed when I was in high school. I also introduced my dad to both of these passions, and watching United games together, as well as watching my “Who Put the ‘M’ in Manchester?” DVD once a year or so, has been a special part of our relationship. I was surprised by how hard the events on Monday hit me, but I think a lot of it came from the affinity I’ve developed for the culture and people of Manchester, even from afar. The people I seeing cheering in the stands every week, and the people who are singing along to the same songs I love, these are people whom I share something with. And to think that we have to be fearful about something as simple as appreciating music, or supporting a football team, is just completely awful. I’ll be nervously following the MBM from work, as I have had to do for most of United’s Europa League run. Win or lose, I just hope they give a great effort, and do the people of Manchester proud tonight.”
“I’ve no connection to Manchester myself, other than an everlasting love for the music of The Fall, but I just thought that I’d throw in Fraiser Crane’s screen father, Martin (John Mahoney),” says Steven Hughes. “He was born in Blackpool, grew up in Manchester, leaving for the U.S. when he was 19. His first job was selling peanuts outside Old Trafford.”
Reading the names Van der Sar, De Boer, Kluivert, and Blind in your preamble has taken me straight back to 1995,” says Peter Oh. “If I were at home and not at the office (it’s approaching mid-day here in California), I’d put the Stone Roses ‘Second Coming’ CD in the old 5-disc carousel and revel in the memories of great football.”
What a team. On the subject, here’s a Joy of Six on teams that broke up too soon. Let’s hope Ajax manage to keep the 2017 vintage together.
You’ll probably want to know about Ajax’s hotshot Danish striker, Kasper Dolberg. Ed Aarons has the lowdown.
More pre-match reading
Ajax fans are singing this right now. Yep.
@JacobSteinberg 5th Av! "STONE F***ING ROSES"; sideshooters; worst toilets ever; The Waterfall Dance; DJs behind a cage; Chip naan; buzz ome
— Gregory Hilton (@groghiltoid) May 24, 2017
In Manchester United’s favour is Jose Mourinho’s record in European finals. He’s three from three, having won the Uefa Cup and Champions League with Porto in 2003 and 2004 respectively and the Champions League with Inter seven years ago. By contrast, this is Peter Bosz’s first European final at the age of 53.
Jose Mourinho speaks. “We tried our best to focus on the game. It is our job. We come here to do that job the best we can and I think we are ready for it. Not with the same happiness, not with the happiness that we bring with us normally, but from a professional point of view we are ready. I don’t know what Ajax are going to do. I don’t know if they will be able to do what they want to do. We are going to give absolutely everything we have to give. Bailly is suspended. It was a choice between Smalling and Jones. I was pushed to decide Chris because he recovered before Jones and he has one week in advance in relation to Jones. Mata is a position where we have alternatives. We have Martial, we have Lingard. Today it is important to start with experience and a brain and later to go with pace and freshness. One season cannot depend on one game but the reality is if we win tonight we get a very important trophy and a Champions League spot.”
Edwin van Der Sar, Ajax’s CEO, is being interviewed on BT Sport at the moment. That’s Edwin van Der Sar. Ajax’s CEO. They do things differently there.
I recently went to Amsterdam to visit Ajax’s training ground and discover how Peter Bosz, a manager who’s as much of a Cruyff disciple as it’s possible to be, is inspiring a revival there. Bosz is a fascinating coach who loves Pep Guardiola and exciting football. He hates negative football. Before you ask, we didn’t talk about Jose Mourinho when we met.
Pre-match emails
“Until December I lived in Salford and had done for four and a half years,” says Chris Dowding. “They were great years. My brother lives there, a lot of my friends are there. I have had some of the best nights out of my life in Manchester. I have wondered around the city centre taking in the noise, the architecture, the accents. Manchester is a melting pot of every religion, race and colour you could think of. Her people are wonderful; they love Manchester and she loves them right back. I worked with people who were in Manchester when the IRA bombed the Arndale in 1996 and they are very matter of face about it – something which I always admired. Manchester and her people are tough bastards and as Tony Wilson correctly said, they do things differently there. They will never forget their fallen and never neglect their wounded, but they will do so with a smile, with love and with the biggest bloody hearts you could hope to find. Again, for what it is worth, come on United, although I’d be lying if I said I was excited for the game.”
“First time I ever visited Manchester was for the Germany v Euro 96 match between Germany and Russia at Old Trafford,” says Richard Franks. “Best memory was trying to talk to a load of pissed-up German fans before the game when my mates emerged from the Lou Macari chip shop off Sir Matt Busby Way with trays of chips and mushy peas. When the Germans saw it they all freaked out and called their mates over to check out the weird stuff the locals considered food. They took photos and everything.”
“I’m the opposite to you - aside from 3 years in Sheffield for Uni I’ve lived in Manchester all my life,” says John Haslam. “I love this place. I work 200 metres from the Arena and was at work yesterday, not letting these morally bankrupt twunts win. My wife is a police officer and was moved to the City centre to support, and visited the scene during her 15 hour stint. She’s said she’ll never be able to back to the Arena or Victoria station again after seeing what she did. This attack is still an open wound on Town, and it will be a long time before it’s a scar. But we’ll use it to never forget. It’s a gritty city with gritty people, but because of that we’re tough. And we will not let anyone beat us.”
“I’m a Liverpool fan – I too lived in Manchester for a year or so, which happened to be 1989,” says Tim Allen. “I also experienced the trauma of the Hillsborough disaster, where I lost a very good friend. Returning to Manchester after that awful weekend, I was shocked to read the Sun’s untruthful version of events on the Monday morning. One of my best mates at that time was a Man United fan, God help him. He and I immediately began laying the groundwork for a boycott of that newspaper in the city – of course other Liverpool fans were organising similar campaigns all around the country. The people of Manchester were outstanding at our time of need – we got overwhelming support from fans of City, United and neither. Their solidarity counted for so much at that difficult time, especially given the rivalry between our cities. I know that the people of our own city will want to stand solidly with the people of Manchester after this disgraceful and cowardly attack.”
That Ajax team. It’s so young. In fact, it’s the youngest ever starting 11 in a major European final. It’s so vibrant and refreshingly positive. Peter Bosz has them set up to charge at their opponents from the first whistle and they have attacking quality on the bench, with Justin Kluivert and David Neres itching to make their mark.
Manchester United are unrecognisable from the team that beat Crystal Palace, of course. Jose Mourinho has made it clear that, from his point of view at least, their season rests on this game. Europa League specialist Sergio Romero is in goal instead of David de Gea, Daley Blind and Chris Smalling start in central defence in the absence of the suspended Eric Bailly, Mourinho opts for the physicality of Marouane Fellaini over Michael Carrick in midfield and Marcus Rashford starts up front. Wayne Rooney is on the bench. Will he get on for what could be his final United appearance?
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Team news
Ajax: Onana; Riedewald, De Ligt, Sanchez, Veltman; Ziyech, Schone, Klaassen; Younes, Dolberg, Traore. Subs: Boer, Tete, Westermann, De Jong, Van der Beek, Kluivert, Neres.
Manchester United: Romero; Valencia, Smalling, Blind, Darmian; Herrera, Fellaini; Mata, Pogba, Mkhitaryan; Rashford. Subs: De Gea, Fosu-Mensah, Lingard, Carrick, Jones, Martial, Rooney.
Referee: Damir Skomina.
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“Sport brings hope ,entertainment, distraction, joy and sadness,” says Paul Moody. “Many other emotions. Hope this one can do most of these.”
Nothing happened to me or anyone I know on Monday night, so I’m not going to try to make it about me. But allow me the indulgence, for a moment, of just saying that I lived in Manchester for three years. They were three of the best years of my life. From that, you’ve probably guessed that it’s where I went to university. I’m a Londoner, but I adore Manchester. Fallowfield, Withington, Didsbury, Fifth Avenue, the Printworks, Deansgate, the Arndale Centre, the football, the Northern Quarter - it all comes flooding back. I was up there recently actually, visiting a friend for his birthday, and was delighted to find that it’s still a wonderful city, that I wasn’t remembering the place through a haze of nostalgia. In fact, I was rather sad when the weekend came to an end. I won’t pretend that what happened is my tragedy, just because I happened to live in a grotty house of seven guys in South Manchester in 2008. But I would like to know what the place means to you.
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Preamble
Hello. In normal circumstances, in a normal world, where normal people aren’t affected by abnormal events, we would begin our coverage of this major European final between two of the most storied clubs in the world by talking about football. We could talk about how Manchester United’s season hinges on the outcome of one game. Whether Jose Mourinho is getting his mojo back or whether he’s having us on. We could talk about 1968, 1999 and 2008. We could talk about Matt Busby and Sir Alex Ferguson. We could talk about the Class of 92; we could make a link between them and Ajax’s emerging generation of youngsters. We could talk about Peter Bosz. We could talk about 1995. We could talk about Patrick Kluivert. We could talk about Justin Kluivert. We could talk about Johan Cruyff and Total Football. We could talk and talk and talk about something that’s rather irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. But these aren’t normal circumstances.
There will be a minute’s silence before kick-off in Stockholm tonight and the players of both sides will wear black armbands, while the mood in the stands will be sombre but defiant. It shouldn’t be this way. We should be talking about football. We should be talking about football. You’d probably like me to start talking about football; maybe drop in some team news or tactical analysis or some thoughts on what missing out on the Champions League would mean for a club of Manchester United’s size. I can’t stop thinking about an Ariana Grande though.
It’s strange. I’d never heard of Ariana Grande before waking up on Tuesday morning. Turns out her style of music rather passes people in my demographic by. Chances are, you hadn’t heard of her either - unless, that is, you happen to be the parent of young children. Judging hybrid what I’ve been reading in the past day or so, you’d probably have heard a lot about this singer. And here we are now. Ariana Grande. There is a point when words stop meaning anything at all.
But to borrow the phrase from elsewhere, Manchester is a city United, whether you’re red, blue or something else entirely. So don’t ignore the frankly unavoidable and unspeakably tragic subplot that has grimly attached itself to this game of football. But do try to find a way to enjoy it, in your own way, in any way that makes you feel comfortable. That, after all, is why we’re here in the first place. This silly little game, it matters and it doesn’t matter. It should be about Marcus Rashford, the local lad leading the line for his boyhood club, and the youngsters of this wonderfully vibrant Ajax team, who play the kind of football that gives you a warm feeling inside.
I know I’m supposed to say that it’s only a game. But then, Ariana Grande’s only a singer. Nights like this matter.
Kick-off: 7.45pm BST.
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