The OT Story: 2003-2010

A barometer of Old Trafford's sustained status as the pinnacle of English club football stadia came in December 2001, when a two-day meeting of UEFA's executive committee in Nyon culminated with the decision that the Theatre of Dreams would host the 2002/03 Champions League final.

United's successful bid had seen off strong challenges from Madrid's Estadio Santiago Bernabeu and Paris' Stade de France, and ensured a sixth final in England - the first away from London's Wembley Stadium. For Sir Alex Ferguson, hopes of reaching a final on familiar soil were given two chances. The Reds crashed out at the semi-final hurdle in 2001/02, denying the Scot a chance to lead his team out at Hampden Park. It was Real Madrid who defeated United's conquerors, Bayer Leverkusen, to take the trophy, and it was Los Galacticos who then denied Old Trafford a partisan final by ousting the Reds at the quarter-final stage in 2003.

Instead, the showpiece was the first all-Italian affair in the competition's history, with AC Milan taking on Juventus. An eagerly-anticipated