May 29 – Busby’s Destiny Fulfilled

TEN years earlier his team had been ripped apart and he lay on a life support machine receiving his last rites. One can only imagine the emotions that Manchester United legend Matt Busby was feeling today in 1968, as he saw his rebuilt side become the first English team to lift the European Cup.

While the shock and anguish of the Munich disaster could never be dissipated, United knew that the best way to honour their fallen comrades was to build a team to match the 1958 vintage and that is exactly what they did.

Denis Law’s signature in 1962 was followed by the arrival a year later of the mercurial Northern Irishman George Best, who added style and panache to the United midfield. Chuck Munich survivor Bobby Charlton’s long range strikes in the mix and you had a “Holy Trinity” that no one got close to until Tevez, Rooney and Ronaldo gave it a bash this season, with similar results.

A pulsating cup run had lead to an epic semi-final victory over Real Madrid, where a 3-3 draw in the second leg meant that United were the first English side to make it all the way to final where they would be backed by a partisan crowd at Wembley Stadium. Their opponents were to be Benfica, conquerors of Juventus thanks largely to the in-form Eusebio.

An estimated 250 million TV viewers watching across the world were treated to a scrappy first half as both teams tried to foul their way to the trophy. Bobby Charlton headed United into the lead in the second half, before a Jaime Graca equaliser brought the game into extra time.

Seven devastating minutes in the extra period was all it took for United to win the trophy. Best, Charlton and Brian Kidd all scored to make the final score 4-1 as United’s rebuilt side earned their place in United folklore.

Matt Busby, who stayed in the United hot seat for another season following the win would say: “This is the most wonderful thing that has happened in my life and I am the proudest man in England tonight.” The European Cup victory marked the pinnacle of Busby’s career and a knighthood soon followed. This was also the peak of George Best’s career, as he capped a European Football of the Year award in style.

See footage from a bouncing Wembley Stadium below and come back tomorrow for another slice of English European glory, as we won’t be seeing anymore this summer.