There have been a lot of grumbles about Real Madrid from our side over the last couple of years. The protracted Ronaldo transfer and the manner in which it was conducted has put an awful lot of people’s backs up. Madrid are now seen as lacking class and respect to the red side from Mancunia.
But short memories breed poor conclusions. After the devastation of Munich – United, naturally, did not qualify for Europe for several seasons. In the previous years they had been going toe-to-toe with a Madrid team that was arguably the greatest in club football history. And they were getting closer. A mutual respect had formed between the two and this reflects in the actions of the Spaniards after the plane crash had decimated our side.
Real Madrid played friendly fixtures against United for the five years following the Munich air disaster, and they always, always sent a full strength side. This was pure class on their part and helped Busby keep in touch with European football. As United gradually began to find their feet again they were able to test themselves against the likes of Di Stefano and Puskus on an annual basis. These fixtures are largely forgotten, but we now have the chance to pick through them in more detail.
Manchester United: The Forgotten Fixtures is an excellent companion for anybody with an interest in United history or football in general. It comprehensively covers every friendly game Machester United have played from the 1940s to the present day profiling team sheets, scorers and attendances for non-competitive games. It is a fascinating read, particularly if you are interested to see how the club were shaping up in pre-season before their most memorable campaigns.
The book has been compiled by the steady hand of Iain McCartney, a seasoned football writer and Reds specialist, who has an eye for detail and a readable style that readers should find compelling. It now sits proudly amongst the finest literature on the mighty Reds.
So next time somebody starts whinging about how Madrid are a classless bunch of renegades, try to keep in mind that when it mattered, they were there for us. Thanks to Iain McCartney, we can all now remember.
Manchester United: The Forgotten Fixtures by Iain McCartney with a Foreward by Paddy Crerand is available from Amazon and all good book shops.