In 2008 when Manchester United made it through to the Champions League Final, it marked two very important anniversaries in the club’s history.
It was fifty years since the team known as the “Busby Babes” was decimated following the Munich Air Crash and it was 40 years since Manchester United became the first English team to win what was then known as the European Cup. What many people may not know that the English Football Association saw no worth in the competition in the 1950’s and discouraged their Championship winning side from participating. Sir Matt Busby had different views and was the pioneer for English clubs believing it would only make them stronger playing against different teams and styles.
To commemorate these milestones when we were on air we dedicated an hour of the show to that first European Cup victory by Manchester United and spoke to four of the players who played their part in the win, Alex Stepney, Nobby Stiles, Dave Sadler and Francis Burns.
Having recently come across a copy of this ‘special’ we thought that we would share it with you once again. Whether you support Manchester United or not this was a moment in history, and it is great to hear the journey to the final from those who were part of it.
In 2008 it was also the first time that two English teams contested the Final. Since then in 2018/19 that was repeated when Liverpool played Tottenham. Of course in the early days it would never have been possible when the competition was restricted to only the Champions of each League. In 1999/2000 Spain were the first nation to have two teams contest the final, when Real Madrid played Valencia. Spain repeated the feat in 2013/14 and 2015/16 when Real Madrid beat Atletico Madrid both times. In 2002/03 Italy also repeated the feat when AC Milan played Juventus. Otherwise it still remains a rare occurrence.
