Juventus - Milan: Champions League Final

"it is necessary to learn to survive defeat. It is in those moments that will take shape the character". By Richard Nixon

Giorgio story   |   David story

Old Trafford di Manchester - May 28 2003 - The day of the Champions League Final match

There a good story to tell...
David, a great freind of mine, in Dicember 2002 tell me that, in case that Juventus would reach the Final, he could get 2 tickets to see the match. In that time seems to be a far thing but, after few months, we found ourseves in Venice airport to go in Manchester to see our favourite team play to win the cup, that in all the cases would come in Italy becuase the other team is Milan.

In venice airport we knew 2 Juventus supporters from Milan that had rent a car from London to Manchester and they were looking for 2 guys to fill the car, so we found a solution for the trip without buying a train ticket (so without dubts to arrive in time at the stadium).

The waiting was interminable, the end of the trip would never come. But, finally, we reach Manchester. I would say that don't get the tickets for the match in our hands because; in fatct we had to meet with a David customer that promised us the tickets (the dubth to not enter the stadium was real since we won't get the passpartout for the match).

At this ponit, once get the ticket, we took the bus for the Old Trafford... And here begin a single Chapter...
The theater of dreams, beautiful, in both aesthetic and structural way, the entrance and the way out are very easy.
We take our sits near the Milan supporters (unfortunately) and, the destiny wants that behind us there was a italian woman that in the past years tought in Treviso school (the world is little). All this while, in front of us, 2 english guys opened 2 onions cake... I can't describe the non vi dico che suffering for the strong smell.
Before the match begin the Atomic Kitten playsa song live.Then the teams enter the field with the famous Champions League hymn... what chills.

I wouldn't tell the story of the match, I can only say that Milan was inside the match more than Juventus although, in deep, we just lose at the penalties.

To end this story I say that, despite the defeat and the sad came back to home with Milan supporters that joked us, it was an incredible experience, one of the best of my life, and, if I came back, I would take part of the adventure although I knew the final results.

Anyway... thanks to Juventus to give us infinite emotions. Manchester 2003

Hey Giorgiazzo, I could get the tickets for Champions League Final in my hands...What do say, are we going to Manchester, Perhaps we could see Real-Manchester or Bayern-Barcellona..we could get the ticket from a customer that doesn't matter to see the match...What do we do?

Answer after maybe 3 seconds...Ok my old friend, a final is always a final, in thel 'Theater of dreams' then, a story to tell!!

Here we are, in the end of 2002 so, without thinking, without trying to imagine that our lovely Juve could reach the final, we agreed.

What happens then?

Juventus - Barcellona

A difficult quarter final against the great spanish team, the first home match ended 1-1 (a foot in the grave), the the return match... the endeavor: we won 2-1 in 'Camp nou', with the goal of the big panter Zalayeta on Birindelli assist during the additional time and we were playng with 10 player because of the Davids red card. In the club where we were seeing the match exploded the joy, we could touch the sky with a finger, although we won nothing in that moment Giorgio and I came back very late in the night (or in the morning?)... ok this is another story, I took a free day the day after...

Juventus - Real Madrid

Semifinal against Galacticos, Zidane - Ronaldo - Raul - Roberto Carlos, they should win. In the first match we limit the damages with an honour 2-1 2-1 in 'Bernabeu' after that it happens the incredible, we pull them down with a 3-1 in the return match, Trezeguet, Del Piero and Nedved, we couldn't believe... IN THE FINAL...and...with the tickets in our hands!!!

How long till May 28?

A long month of life, without count that we have to play against Milan (that goes to the final by wons against Ajax e Inter, 2 little team in that moment), team with a Champions League Finals story better then our, but above all the difficul for us begin with the long wait for find a fly.

In fact about 40.000 italians will reach England for the final, what ca we do, should we go by car?
Nothing to do, we could not find a fly, pessimism was around us, they ask about 700 euro for the latest sits...a theft...

Then fortunately we found a fly from Venice to London, then go, we arrange in some way, what do Poi fortunatamente troviamo un volo Venezia-Londra, quindi via, ci arrangiamo in qualche modo, you want it, the important is to touch the England ground, then we will see.

The good Giorgio's father bring us to Venice airport and, with our backpack and scarf we couldn't believe to what was happening, but the more is done, because with an incredible luck, we knew 2 black and white brothers with our same fly that rent a car outside London, we gave them no time to tell more things that we are on board of that car....Well...

In perfect time we was in London and took the car for Manchester trying not to get an accidente in the thousend of round road in the wrongor right way(it seems to be easy...), finally we reached London. We had to devide beacuse Giorgio and I have to meet with the guy for the tickets of the match, so we set the sum and came back to London after the match...It seems easy...

With my perfect english (infant level) I had to try to find the guy, I had only phone number, but, first of all we didn't know where we were, then we had to understand what the guy says...But the destiny helped us and I here from him the name of a bank that, incredibly, was in front of us... thanks lucky, we meet a man with a cell phone so I surely end the call and go to shake his hands.
It was him, he gave the tickets and then began to speak...I refuse to understand the argument so we say goodbye to hm and try to find a bus for the stadium with the tickets for the match in our hands: his role is end... Thanks and goodbye...

The image of the stadium in the horizont, to me, got an unbelievable emotion; after thousend of vicissitudes, we arrived, around us thoused italians, fantastic.
A pair of picture and the start to think to the match while looking for our sits, that naturally we find in few time, thank to english efficiency, all in order... Surely not like Italians organization...

Till here it's all right, then began the pain, a bad macth, with few emotions and a lot of insult from me to Lippi, that deploy Montero lateral, and Camoranesi completly out of condition... Penalty kicks and this lucky Milan brought it at home. I didn't want to see their joy when they left the cup up, but Giorgio stop me for 10 minutes more, so I had to see the red and black confettis...the fact is that I knew that it was not end there, and there a long way to back home... so, how could we back to London?

I didn't want to call the other Milan brothers, what do you say? For crying out loud, we think to reach the train station to see when start the next train to London. I found also a nice english guy that says 'oh, Juventus supporter? Ah ah...', I lighetd him and thanks to Giorgio I leave him there... better not to have problems, although I would shift some nervous more than happy.

So we reached the station and we realize that we didn't get an original idea, a lot of people in column to get the tickets, the more of that with Milan scarf. Ok, what do you want to do, head down, we pay (60 £...) and we waited till 7 o'clock that this shit train would start, and during the waiting the Milan supportes was joking us!?
But not the pride, although we lose on the field, we can't lose our pride: Juventus t-shirt and scarf remain in sight and became automaticly the target of the joke of the Milan friend... So we try to think to Inter with the facility of the chorus that goes against the other Milan team (I remember one: "that we win or that we loce will be always INTER SHIT!!", sang from all both Juventus and Milan supporters).

When we reached London we take a walk to wait 2 hours before fly back to Italy, just the time for a sandwich that I'm still waiting to digest, and to began to forget...

It's gone, but I know that I'm in credit with the destiny, I'm sure that before or after we'll come back to Football top... And we will be there Giorgio, begin to think to the new chorus...

 Print this page           Request further informations