Manchester United in Europe: Tragedy, Destiny, History (Mainstream Sport)

Manchester United's quest to win the European Cup was forged amidst the charred remains of an Elizabethan airliner that crashed on take-off at Munich's Riem Airport in February 1958. 23 people died in the tragedy, and from that moment on, manager Matt Busby's goal of winning the European Cup became an obsession that permeated the whole club. Ten years after the Munich disaster, Busby achieved his dream when United beat Benfica to lift the European Cup at Wembley. It seemed to be United's destiny finally to honor those who had lost their lives in pursuit of the gleaming silver trophy. But that triumph was to hang over the club for the next 31 years as United failed to regain those heights. Alex Ferguson's arrival spawned a flood of trophies, but the European Cup—by then known as the Champions League—remained elusively outside their grasp. Then came the last final of the 20th century, in which United snatched a 2-1 victory in stoppage time, and completed the impossible treble. This title recounts the tragedy, destiny, and history of those three European campaigns.