What happens when Ighalo takes over MUTV for a day?
Odion Ighalo is taking charge of the MUTV schedule and he’s picked six great shows to be broadcast on the channel today (Wednesday).
The Nigerian’s scheduling begins at 09:30 BST and runs through to 17:45 BST this evening, before we start all over again at 18:30 BST.
Here are Odion’s six selections…
"It’s going to be in my head forever."
The first programme Ighalo has picked is our Europa League triumph over Club Brugge in February. The last-32, second-leg clash was the striker’s first start for the Reds and he capped a memorable occasion by grabbing a maiden United goal.
“It’s a great memory and it was a dream come true,” our no.25 reflected. “Starting your first game and scoring your first goal at the same time, it’s something you’ll always cherish in your life. In the years to come, I’ll look back at my first start for the team and my first goal.
“The atmosphere in the stadium was mad, the fans were singing and supporting the team. They were supporting me and signing my name and that gave me more courage and more spirit to fight, to score even more. I’m very happy about that. It’s going to be in my head forever.
“It was a great game and we won 5-0 after the away game, when we drew 1-1,” he added. “Coming home to Old Trafford, we knew we needed to win that game for us to go into the next round. We started so well, we were pressing up high and tried to attack from start to finish. It was a great display from the team - 5-0 in the Europa League is not easy.”
UTD PODCAST: OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER
We all want to hear what the boss has got to say - whether that’s on his managerial career, or his playing days - and Ighalo is no different.
The 30-year-old has, therefore, selected the boss’s UTD Podcast interview from earlier in the season and, as reported earlier, he gave an insight into why he enjoys working with Ole so much.
We really don’t need any excuse to rewatch this memorable evening in Moscow, when the Reds were crowned European champions for a third time.
Odion was just 18 in 2008 and can still recall watching the game in Oslo, where he was playing his football at the time.
“I can’t remember exactly where I was, but I can remember watching that game against Chelsea,” said the striker.
“It was a tough game and I remember [Cristiano] Ronaldo scored a header and [Frank] Lampard scored for Chelsea. It went to penalties and Ronaldo missed. He started crying and I felt so bad for him because he did so well in the game, but luckily [Edwin] van der Sar saved the day for Man United.
“That game was very tough against a good Chelsea side and the way United played was very good. That’s why I picked that match."
“Someone can tell you the story, but when you watch it, you see it - that’s so much better than somebody telling you.”
From one Champions League-winning side to another, and Odion’s fourth choice is the Impossible Dream documentary about our 1998/99 Treble campaign.
“It was a great year and it’s great for fans to watch the Treble-winning season,” said Ighalo. “We’ve not done anything like that since. I’m very happy watching that and I encourage the fans to do so as well.
“Someone can tell you the story, but when you watch it, you see it - that’s so much better than somebody telling you.”
Asked whether he would have liked to play in the ’99 side, the forward responded: “If you have Ryan Giggs from the left, David Beckham from the right and Paul Scholes in the middle, then what else does a striker need?
“When you see Beckham cross the ball, all you have to do is move your leg or your head and tap it in. Giggs, from the left, doing his magic. It was a great team and they did so well.”
"It’s like they’d already spoke and said they were going to do that in a game. Their combination play was unbelievable and they did so well for United."
ALL THE GOALS: ANDY COLE
By now, most United fans will already know that Odion was a big fan of Coley when he was growing up in Nigeria - and he wants to relive his childhood years by watching every goal our former striker scored for the Reds.
Ighalo has also revealed which of Cole’s 121 goals for the club were his favourites: “I remember in 1999 at Old Trafford, against Tottenham,” he said. “I can’t remember who gave him the pass [Gary Neville], but he just controlled the ball and lobbed it past the goalkeeper. It was fantastic control; a good pass and a good lob as well.”
However, his favourite was Coley’s memorable 1998 strike in the Nou Camp, against Barcelona, when our former no.9 combined expertly with strike-partner Dwight Yorke.
“It’s like they’d already spoken and said they were going to do that in a game. But the ball just came, he [Cole] opened his leg, one touch from Yorke and Cole controlled the ball straight away, and then, boom: goal. Their combination play was unbelievable and Dwight Yorke was also a great goalscorer. They did so well for United.”
"The way he hit that ball, there was no way a goalkeeper could get to it. Ronaldo had this technique back then and the ball was going up and down.”
To round things off, Odion has opted to rewatch every Premier League goal from our double-winning 2007/08 campaign, and the brilliance of one man from that season certainly influenced our forward’s selection.
“It was a nightmare for so many teams playing against Cristiano Ronaldo,” Odion explained. “He was on fire and was scoring goals - week in, week out.
"Every team that played against United had a problem because, that year, Ronaldo took everyone by storm and he was playing so well. He was one of the driving forces for that season.
“The free-kick against Portsmouth is in this season - the way he hit that ball, there was no way a goalkeeper could get to it. Ronaldo had this technique back then and the ball was going up and down.”
MUTV CHOICES IN FULL
09:30 & 18:30- 2019/20 MATCH: UNITED 5-0 CLUB BRUGGE
11:30 & 20:30- UTD PODCAST: OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER
12:30 & 22:00- CLASSIC MATCH: 2008 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL
14:30 & 00:00- THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM
16:30 & 02:00- ALL THE GOALS: ANDY COLE
17:30 & 03:00- 2000 PL SHOWS: 2007/08
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