Eric Cantona To Return to OLD TRAFFORD!!!

Manchester United hero Eric Cantona will return to Old Trafford as part of Paul Scholes' testimonial match on August 5. The Frenchman, who hit 64 goals in 144 games during a five-year spell with the Red Devils, will coach a New York Cosmos team for the game. The Cosmos, for whom Cantona now works as a director of football, are attempting to gain entry to Major League Soccer.

The former Leeds striker won the Premier League and FA Cup double on two occassions before quitting football in 1997. "I wish to congratulate Paul for such an incredible career at Manchester United and I am looking forward to returning to Old Trafford in my new role with the New York Cosmos,'' said Cantona. Scholes will become part of the coaching staff at United after winning 10 league titles during his distinguished playing career. "This is going to be a big night for me and my family but one which I intend to enjoy and I will savour every moment,'' said Scholes.

"I have spent my whole footballing life at Manchester United, so this will be an emotional farewell. This club is special in many ways but the fans are the best and I have always appreciated their support throughout my career. "I hope they enjoy the night, especially seeing the Boss and Eric battling it out in front of the dug outs.''

Ferguson had nothing but praise for a player he has helped grow into one of the legends of the modern game. "Paul's retirement was typical of the man, low key, he was safe on holiday just so he could avoid any media interviews,'' said Ferguson. "However he won't be able to hide away this time and it will be fantastic for the fans to be able to bid farewell to this exceptional footballer.

"The accolades he's received have been well deserved but for me Paul is one of those players who turns up, plays his football and it is that natural ability that makes Paul unique and revered by many, including myself. "Now from one great player to another, Eric Cantona. I am going to relish this touchline showdown, one Gaelic mind to another. either of us will want to lose this one, it is sure to be a great night and a well deserved recognition for Paul.''

Source

Glory Glory Man United!!!

Picture courtesy of Ezra.

Nope, I am not at Wembley neither do I have any tickets to the match.

But come tomorroww... we will all be supporting Manchester United!!! =)

Come on UNITED!!!!!!!!!

David Beckham is BACK for Manchester United!!!

Recognize this guy here?

Yes, who can forget him eh... He is, none other than David Beckham.

He played for Manchester United from 1993-2003, before signing for Real Madrid.

Yes, he is back... or rather, he was BACK.

David Beckham surely looked at home. The Galaxy midfielder, back in a Manchester United shirt for best pal Gary Neville's testimonial match Tuesday at Old Trafford, received the loudest ovation and was serenaded with “Fergie, sign him up” chants in his return to his original club. He also saw a lot more action than he expected, and more than the Galaxy would have preferred. The 36-year-old midfielder, given permission by L.A. to miss Wednesday's game at Home Depot Center against Houston, played the full 90 minutes in a 2-1 loss to Italian giants Juventus.

Beckham, making his first appearance for Man United since leaving for Real Madrid in 2003, played in his trademark spot on the right flank, just in front of Neville, and delighted the crowd with his touch, passing and two shots. He forced a diving save from Juventus goalkeeper Marco Storari just before halftime, and blistered a free kick just over the crossbar in the 68th minute.

Red Devils Clinch Premier League Title Against Blackburn!

Manchester United secured their Barclays Premier League 'Champions' status on Saturday, as The Red Devils did enough by drawing 1-1 with Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park. The result makes United the most successful football club in English domestic league history, as Wayne Rooney's second-half emphatic penalty strike cancelled-out Brett Emerton's 20th minute goal. 'We've done it !' was the general feeling. After 24 years, Sir Alex has claimed his 12th Premier League title - finally knocking Liverpool off their perch, and making Manchester United most decorated English footie club in history with a tally of 19 league crowns. The wait is over, let's celebrate... Saturday is the pinnacle party: 76,000 fans packed into Old Trafford to watch The Red Devils lift the Premier League trophy at full-time against Blackpool. What a feeling !

Peter Schmeichel - greatest goalkeeper of all time?

In the recent news, Manchester United continues to seek a replacement for the current Dutchman, Edwin Van Der Sar. Whether his replacement is going to be German or a Spaniard, we all hope that his replacement would be as good as Edwin... and perhaps emulate the greatest goalkeeper of all time, Peter Schmeichel.

That's Edwin van der Sar.

Peter Bolesław Schmeichel MBE (born 18 November 1963) is a retired Danish professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper, and was voted the "World's Best Goalkeeper" in 1992 and 1993. He is best remembered for his most successful years at English club Manchester United, whom he captained to the 1999 UEFA Champions League to complete The Treble, and for winning UEFA Euro 1992 with Denmark.

He holds the record for the greatest clean sheets-to-games ratio in the Premier League with 42% of the games he played in the league ending without his team conceding.

Here's a video of Peter Schmeichel scoring a goal... LOL. =)

Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Spain's largest Stadium.

Spain's largest stadium, the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu is an all-seater football stadium in Madrid, Spain. It was inaugurated on 14 December 1947 and is owned by Real Madrid C.F. With a capacity of 80,354 spectators in 2007, it was named as a UEFA Elite Five-Star Stadium in 2007.

The Bernabéu is one of the world’s most famous and prestigious venues. It hosted the European Cup final three times, in 1957, 1969 and 1980, and is scheduled to host the 2010 final. The finals for the 1964 European Nations’ Cup and the 1982 World Cup have also been held at the Bernabéu.

When Florentino Perez became the president of Real Madrid, was launched on the Master Plan called Santiago Bernabeu stadium, with one goal: To improve the comfort of the stadium and the quality of its facilities, and maximise revenue from the stadium. This invested 127,000,000 euros in five years (2001-2006) between the cover and highlighted the expansion of the East Side, the new facade on Father Damien, new costumes, new boxes and VIP areas, a new stage in honour of the East Side, a new press area also located on the East Side, new audio system, new bars, placement of heat in the stands, panoramic lifts, new restaurants and escalators in the towers access.

The Santiago Bernabeu Stadium is located in the Paseo de la Castellana in the Chamartin district. It occupies the block bounded by the Paseo de la Castellana and the streets of Concha Espina, Padre Damian, and Rafael Salgado. The stadium has its own Madrid Metro station along the 10 line called Santiago Bernabéu. Its location, in the heart of Madrid’s business district, is quite unusual for a football stadium.

Real Madrid 0 Barcelona 2.

Lionel Messi struck twice late on as Barcelona took a huge step towards the Champions League final with a 2-0 semi-final, first leg win over 10-man Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. Messi, taking his tally to 52 in all competitions this season, netted in the 76th and 87th minutes - the second a typically brilliant solo effort - to settle an ill-tempered clash which saw Madrid defender Pepe sent off in the 61st minute.

That incident also saw Madrid coach Jose Mourinho - who on Tuesday sparked a war of words with counterpart Pep Guardiola - sent to the stands, while Barca reserve goalkeeper Jose Pinto was also shown a red card following an incident at half-time.

However, the end result means Barca, European champions in 2006 and 2009, are now firm favourites to progress to next month's final at Wembley.

#GetGibboBack on Twitter!

According to The Sun, MANCHESTER UNITED midfielder Darron Gibson has been hounded off Twitter — just TWO HOURS after setting up his account. The Republic of Ireland international faced a barrage of abuse from angry United fans unhappy with his performances for the team this season.

Gibson set up an account on the popular social networking site at around lunchtime today under the username @dgibbo28. United defender Rio Ferdinand confirmed it was real and urged his 842,000 followers to welcome his club-mate.

But within two hours, the account had disappeared completely with the 23-year-old sent seemingly reeling following a backlash from some of his side's supporters. One United 'fan' wrote: "Team do all hard work keeping possession then you hit row Z every f****** time! #don'tshootyou'res***"

Another said: "You are an abysmal excuse for a footballer. You're a one trick pony — a s*** one at that. What Fergie sees in you I don't know." A male United follower even urged the Irishman to leave Old Trafford. He said: "Your f***ing awful, get out of the club." And a fourth spewed: "You are s***, Fergie will sell you off in the summer. #justsaying". However, scores of United fans have since leapt to the defence of Gibson and vented their dismay at the treatment he received on the website.

And a #getgibboback hashtag has been created in an attempt to get the Derry-born player to return to the site.

Qatar Royal Family offers RM7.4b for Man Utd.

The Qatari Royal Family is preparing a new bid for Manchester United.

According to The Daily Mail the royal family of Qatar is preparing a fresh £1.5billion (RM7.4 billion) bid for Manchester United after the Glazers rejected an earlier offer.

A source close to the oil-rich emirate’s ruling Al Thani family confirmed that it tried to tempt the Glazers earlier this month with an offer of just over £1bn (RM4.9bn). The bid was turned down by the Americans, who are holding out for closer to £1.8bn (RM8.9bn). But the Al Thanis are on the verge of raising the stakes, partly motivated by rivalry with the Abu Dhabi royal family, whose wealth has transformed United’s arch-rivals Manchester City into title contenders.

Going head to head on the pitch would give the Al Thanis the opportunity to get one over on their Gulf neighbours, with the Manchester football scene offering a high-profile battleground. United strenuously deny that they have received any bid from Qatar Holdings, a division of the Qatar Investment Authority, which identifies ways to make a return on the country’s oil billions. But the source indicated the offer could be made privately, or through a separate vehicle owned by the Al Thanis.

Munich 1958 - The Champions who perished...

On the 6th of February 1958, a plane carrying 44 passengers crashed after refuelling at Munich Airport, Germany. The accident claimed the lives of 23 people, among them 8 Manchester United footballers and 3 club officials. The young Red Devils had been tipped to dominate European football - they were the flowers of Manchester, 'The Busby Babes'.

We will never forget....

Remember those who perished in The Munich Air Disaster, 53 years on...

The Busby Babes - Geoff Bent, Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Duncan Edwards, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor, Liam 'Billy' Whelan

Southampton 1 Man Utd 2. =) *wooots*

STAND-IN strikers Michael Owen and Javier Hernandez rescued Manchester United from an FA Cup upset. Trailing 1-0 to Richard Chaplow's thumping strike, Owen netted a typical poacher's effort before Hernandez pounced on sub Ryan Giggs' killer pass.

It was tough luck on Southampton, who might have found themselves 2-0 ahead at the break but for Guly's shocking miss. But ultimately the quality of Giggs told - just as it did in United's comeback win at Blackpool in midweek - to keep United's Treble dream alive.

Saints started with good intent and Rickie Lambert saw a header blocked by Jonny Evans. Dan Harding's effort was ruled out for offside before Owen twice went close for the visitors. Gabriel Obertan wasted a decent chance but not quite as glaring as the one Guly passed up just before the break as he headed over unmarked six yards out. But Saints still went in front at the break as Chaplow crashed home a superb drive moments later than left United's debut keeper Anders Lindegaard no chance.

Owen, though, soon found his range and drew United level in the 65th minute, nodding home Obertan's deflected drilled cross. And 10 minutes later, Owen cut out a loose ball and fed Giggs, whose precise pass fell perfectly for Hernandez to get the vital touch, with the ball bobbling over the line.