Ronaldo and David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane and Juan Sebastian Veron, Luis Figo and Roy Keane, Raul and Ruud van Nistelrooy. Real Madrid’s Champions League quarter-final with Manchester United provides two precious opportunities to see the world’s greatest players in action at two of Europe’s finest stadiums. Real’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium hosts the opening leg on April 8 and the second game is at Old Trafford two weeks later. United’s ground will also host the final on May 28 and for many fans a meeting between reigning European champions Real and the English side, who last won the competition in 1999, would have provided a perfect finale. The compensation is the promise of two games between these great rivals instead of one. “It’s a fascinating prospect,” Real Madrid director Emilio Butragueno said. “This will only add to football’s greatness and that’s always something to celebrate. “For our players, it’s the chance to continue growing into a legendary team.” Real already have the look of an all-star team, especially since the arrival of Ronaldo from Inter Milan after his eight goals fired Brazil to their fifth World Cup triumph last year. Real have another member of that victorious Brazilian side, full back Roberto Carlos, and in Zidane they have the man who guided France to their World Cup win in 1998. Portuguese forward Figo will keep the side coursing forward from the right. In Raul the club, nine times European champions, possess the leading scorer in Champions League history. If anything, Real are even stronger than when they last met United in the Champions League. That was in 2000, when the English side managed a goalless draw at the Bernabeu before coming back to Old Trafford for a match they were expected to win easily. It didn’t turn out that way. A magical performance from Argentine midfielder Fernando Redondo led Real to a famous 3-2 win and the Spaniards went on to beat Bayern Munich in the semis before crushing Valencia in the final. Redondo has since departed. With Zidane directing the side, Real won the European Cup for the third time in five years at last season’s final in Glasgow. The English side will have to be at their peak to stay on course for an appearance in their “home” final. “It was the toughest draw, that’s for sure,” United’s club secretary Kenneth Merrett said. “Real must be the favourites — they are obviously the holders and they are the team most people would have wanted to avoid. “It’s a game we can win, though. We’ve played them before and maybe this time it’s our turn.” United will console themselves with the fact that they too have strengthened their squad. Alex Ferguson now has his own Argentine midfield magician in Veron and, in David Beckham, United can boast one of the very few players that can still provoke envious glances from Real president Florentino Perez. Ferguson has also brought in Rio Ferdinand, the man who led England’s defence with such style at the World Cup, and Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, top scorer in this season’s Champions League. It is van Nistelrooy that causes Real most concern. “He’s the United player I’d single out,” Zidane said on Friday. “The whole team is strong but van Nistelrooy is really in form. He’s outstanding.” Real and Manchester United have met three times in Europe’s premier club competition and each time the winner has gone on to lift the trophy — Real Madrid in 1956-57, United in 1967-68 and Real again in 1999-2000. Whoever wins this time round will expect to go on and complete the job in a semi-final against Juventus or Barcelona, followed by that final at Old Trafford. No one, for the moment at least, is prepared to look any further than the next two games between arguably the two biggest, best-supported clubs on the planet. “All the games from now on are going to be difficult,” Zidane said. “The teams left in the competition are all great and they’ll all provide beautiful games. “That’s good for everyone who likes football.” (Reuters)
