Bruce Recalls Fergie's First Title

An article by Steve Bruce from DailyMail

I can remember the day when Manchester United were again the kings of English football as if it were yesterday. Pressure had been building on the club for a long time to find worthy successors to the likes of Denis Law, Bobby Charlton and George Best. They were in their pomp on the last occasion Manchester United were the undisputed  champions, back in 1967. But there had been nobody capable of equalling the feat for a generation. It seems unbelievable to think that now. 

To put what happened to us into context, the season was going to the wire as it had done in 1992 when Leeds United pipped us. In 1993, we were in the strange situation of potentially being awarded the title without playing. There were a couple of games to go. We held a four-point lead. So anything other than a victory for our closest challengers, Aston Villa, at home to Oldham meant the title was ours. The match was being played on a Sunday afternoon. As we were playing Blackburn on the Monday night, we went in for a little light training. The instructions from the gaffer as we all headed home afterwards were explicit: Nobody was to watch the Villa game on television. He went to play golf!

Despite these orders, I settled down to watch it all and, bless him, Oldham midfielder Nick Henry became the toast of Old Trafford by breaking the deadlock. That goal signalled a build-up of tension everywhere, not least at Chez Bruce. These were the days before mobile phones and our home phone was ringing off the hook with about 15  minutes left in the Villa game. Oldham managed to hold on for a much-needed win, sparking a huge party — at my house. Within minutes, Peter Schmeichel — who lived virtually next door — popped in. Then Paul Parker and various other players turned up. I thought I had better let the  gaffer know what was going on, so I managed to get hold of him on the phone, saying: ‘There’s a bit of a gathering at my house, a few of the lads have turned up.’ ‘Ok,’ he replied, ‘how many?’ I said: ‘Well, it’s more than a few  — there’s about 25 of them round here!’

He had people at his house, too, and I think our party actually stopped at 3.30am. Not everyone went home. I went to bed and was awoken a few hours later by the sound of glasses tinkling in the kitchen. I went downstairs to investigate and was greeted by the sight of Bryan Robson and his wife,  Denise, washing up and mopping the kitchen floor. It was hardly the ideal preparation for a sell-out crowd wanting to party but, whether through elation or relief, we managed to beat Blackburn 3-1 and the carnival really began. There was a star-studded gathering at Old Trafford that night. Law, Best and Charlton were all there. Sir Matt Busby, who had managed the ’67 team, too. It was a fabulous evening, the atmosphere so different to 12 months earlier when we had let it slip. Although we’d felt we had the better team, Leeds had proved it. And we certainly suffered a hangover in the season when we actually won the title.

We took a while to hit our straps after a poor start and then lost our way horribly in the autumn. At one stage we were 10th, having won one match in 12. Imagine the stink if that happened these days. But then Eric Cantona breezed into Old Trafford. I use the word ‘breezed’ but it was more of a  hurricane, really. The term that really sums it up is ‘missing piece in the jigsaw’. You have to understand the pressure that comes with playing for a club such as Manchester United. I have seen it sap energy from some players and lift others to unimaginable heights. Eric did that to our group when he joined from Leeds. It was an eye opener for me — I thought we were going to sign David Hirst  from Sheffield Wednesday. But all of a sudden Eric’s vision, technique and work-rate propelled us. He could do everything and, with a stage like Old Trafford, the  situation was absolutely made for him.

Eric bought into us as players, too. He respected the institution and earned our respect in the dressing room by the manner in which he grasped his opportunity. It was as if Eric was the key to release all that tension which had been building over 26 years. Personally, I can’t believe it’s 20 years since my two late headers against Sheffield Wednesday. Everyone recalls that as an iconic contribution as we fought back to win 2-1 but I feel a bit sorry for Denis Irwin, who scored a belter at Coventry a couple of days later when we won 1-0. Nobody ever seems to remember that. Looking back now, to win 13 titles in 20 seasons in a league as  competitive as the Premier League is astonishing. It would have  happened eventually because the manager is the best there has ever been, but I’m not sure it would have happened as quickly without Eric.

He was the catalyst. What we all couldn’t have envisaged then was just what sort of dynasty Sir Alex Ferguson was creating. How many times since then has he assembled ‘great’ teams only to rip them up and start again, while still winning trophies? Given the age and quality of the current players and the drive of the manager, who would bet against him landing a few more?

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Giggs: The Boss Is The Club

Sir Alex Ferguson has become the epitome of Manchester United, in the eyes of Ryan Giggs.

The pair have worked in harmony for over two decades of sustained success and, having starred in a 13th Premier League title triumph together, Giggs insists the fighting spirit imbued in United’s players derives from the man at the helm.

“His appetite is second to none,” said the 39-year-old. “Every day he's at the training ground, he's first there, his enthusiasm is brilliant and that feeds through the club. He is the club. 

“Everything comes from the manager getting players in, getting the right staff in and he's just an unbelievable manager and an unbelievable person. He deserves everything that he gets because he works hard. I've been very lucky to play under him for so long.”

While Giggs reached double figures in terms of titles won five years ago, he now shares a dressing room with several players cherishing their first winner’s medal – and the winger sees that blend of experiences as a key factor in United's era of dominance.

“That's the key to the manager's success,” he said. “The way he evolves, never stands still, always looks forward and that shows with the amount of young players that we've got in the team; exciting players and players who are going to be here for a long time and carry on that tradition of competing for trophies.”

Having wrenched the title back from local rivals Manchester City – especially after the manner of last season’s dethronement – Giggs lauded the Reds’ achievement, admitting: “It's obviously special. When you lose it in the manner that we did last year, to win it back is something special - especially putting on a show with the way we played tonight. We did it in style, so it's really pleasing.

“I think the strength in depth [won us the title], really. We had a lot of injuries early on, in the centre half positions especially and once we got that sorted we looked really solid. From Christmas onwards we've looked really good, and once you've got that platform of defence, and with the flair players we've got, you're always in with a chance.”

Van Persie Greedy For More

Robin van Persie is greedy for more medals after winning the Barclays Premier League for the first time in his career.

The Dutchman savoured the atmosphere at an electric Old Trafford after firing all three goals in the title-clinching success against Aston Villa on Monday night. After revealing his chats with Rio Ferdinand about lifting the trophy, the summer acquisition from Arsenal hopes it is merely the beginning in terms of his United career.

"It's a great feeling," the striker told MUTV. "I had to wait a long time and I've been thinking and speaking about it with Rio, for example, in the car and he's been telling me: 'Listen, whatever happens, that's the standard.'

"He's right. From now on, our new standard is we want to be champions every year and we want to win more. So we are even more hungry than than we were last season because you could just tell, from day one, everyone wanted this and we did well.

"I want to win it again. I want to win more stuff. I want to win the FA Cup, the Champions League, the Capital One Cup. I want to win it all.

"This is a trophy for all of us - the management, staff, all the players and the fans have been brilliant too. They've been absolutely amazing, cheering us on every single game, home and away, so credit to them as well."

In a separate interview with Sky Sports, van Persie paid tribute to all of his colleagues. "I'm very happy," he stated. "But it's weird. I had to wait so long for my first title and it's a great feeling. It's just fantastic.

"We have a fantastic team, fantastic players. If you look at every single one of them, it's a championship for every single one of them, and I mean everyone: the staff, the manager, trainers, players, medical staff... everyone has been great. This is our 20th title and, I think, deserved."

Boss: Focus Won Us The Title

Sir Alex Ferguson attributes United's 20th league title to the steely focus within his squad. Having missed out on the title in such dramatic circumstances last term, the Reds bounced back in record-breaking fashion and mercilessly marched to glory this time around – demonstrating the character of champions for all to see.

"The players' focus was fantastic this season," Sir Alex said. "They didn't get themselves annoyed by what happened last season. A lot of teams – most teams in the country – would have melted. But not this bunch.

"They went on and did what Manchester United expects of them and raised the bar. You could go on and on and on about losing a title, and we've had to do that in my time. I think our consistency for the last 20 years has been unbelievable. It's been a marvelous performance. We've got 84 points with four games left – fantastic.

"The one thing I said to them at the start of the season was: 'Make sure you do not lose on goal difference again'. Last season was the first time we've ever lost on goal difference. We've always had a superior goal difference to all our opponents. That was the point where I realized that was the challenge: our goal difference must be better than theirs across the road."

Detractors continue to insist that the manager’s latest batch of champions does not stand comparison with its illustrious forebears, but Sir Alex gives short shrift to such a notion and insists that his squad has a bright future ahead of them.

“I think it's dead easy to say that,” he shrugged. “Nostalgia plays tricks on people's minds, without doubt. You do it yourself. How many times have you said: 'Ah, when I was a boy, things weren't the same’?

“Put it in context: we've now got 84 points with four games left and we've never done that. We've won most of our games, drawn three, lost four and the goal [van Persie’s second] tonight… it doesn't matter where you place that in terms of all the great goals we've scored, from David Beckham, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Eric Cantona... 

“That pedestal is there, the players have joined that pedestal. We've got some young, exciting players – you've seen how De Gea's improved over the season into an outstanding goalkeeper, young Rafa, you saw Jones tonight... arguably the way he's looking, he could be our best ever player.”

The headlines, however, belonged to a more established United star. Having scored the goals that propelled the Reds' early charge for the title, as well as the brilliant hat-trick which sealed it, Robin van Persie inevitably drew plaudits from his manager.

"Robin's been unbelievable," said Sir Alex. "He had that dry spell where he hadn't scored for a few weeks but the penalty kick at Stoke brought it back. He was unbelievable tonight, unbelievable. Fantastic. 

"He has to take a lot of the credit – his goals tell you that and his performance levels tell you that. I'm sure Robin would be saying what a great bunch of players I've got with me – they're a great bunch of players."

RVP Treble Fires United To Title

Robin van Persie bagged a magnificent first-half hat-trick to fire Manchester United to Premier League title glory with a 3-0 win over Aston Villa. Long since accepted as the summer signing that made the difference, Van Persie underlined his value by ensuring there was never a chance Aston Villa might prevent their hosts from collecting the victory required to celebrate championship number 20 in front of their own fans at Old Trafford. 

Van Persie took just 81 seconds to sweep home Ryan Giggs' knock-back. Twelve minutes from the break he profited from more unselfishness from the veteran Welshman to complete the second three-timer of his United career. In between he scored one of the best goals of the entire campaign as he followed Wayne Rooney's long ball throughout its 50-yard flight, waited for it to fall out of the sky then smashed a first-time volley into the corner. It was the kind of jaw-dropping moment United have not delivered that often this season. But as the signature to reclaiming the crown Manchester City prized from their grasp with virtually the last kick of the previous campaign, it was perfect. It confirmed Sir Alex Ferguson's 13th title, and Giggs' for that matter, equaling on their own the number Arsenal have won as a club. 

For Gunners old-boy Van Persie, at 29, it was number one. And boy did it show at the final whistle as he raised his arms on halfway before joining the celebrations that began almost immediately, even if the trophy presentation has to wait for three weeks. 

Really though, the hosts were counting down to the final whistle, as were their supporters, who spent the second half paying homage to a succession of past players who have contributed to previous successes. Their focus switched when referee Anthony Taylor brought the evening to an end though, and Van Persie was the man they owed most thanks to.

De Gea vs Begovic Again?

David de Gea could be forgiven for expecting a bruising encounter as Manchester Unitedhead to Stoke City on Sunday, yet his biggest challenge could come from his opposite number Asmir Begovic.  

The Potters goalkeeper has been in superb form this season, keeping 10 clean sheets in 32 Premier League appearances, a record bettered in the top flight this season only by Joe Hart with 14.

In a Stoke side who have struggled badly and are just three points off the relegation places going into the game against the league leaders, that is an impressive achievement, and it is little wonder that the vultures are circling.

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As exclusively revealed by Goal.com in February, United have been closely monitoring Begovic, who they want to bring in to compete with De Gea for the No.1 jersey at Old Trafford, with Anders Lindegaard set to make way.

However, De Gea's recent form suggests that, if Begovic does arrive, he may struggle, like Lindegaard, to usurp the Spaniard from the first team.

The 22-year-old has finally established himself as the undisputed No.1 at Old Trafford, despite an iffy start to the season which saw him dropped after a mistake in United's 3-2 win against Fulham.

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De Gea has shrugged that disappointment off, however, and gone on to make 23 Premier League appearances this season, conceding just 22 goals and with nine clean sheets, despite a defence which has been frequently disrupted with injuries to Nemanja Vidic, Jonny Evans, Rafael, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones. 

It has been the same story in the cups too, a vital last-minute save from Juan Mata allowing United to cling onto an FA Cup replay against Chelsea while a mature performance in the Santiago Bernabeu saw him make outstanding stops from Fabio Coentrao and Sami Khedira to help his side to a 1-1 draw in the Champions League.

His development from the skinny 20-year-old who arrived in Manchester in 2011 charged with the uneviable task of replacing Edwin van der Sar, a man twice his age with a bulging trophy cabinet and a mere 130 international caps to his name, is clear to see.

While the Spaniard was nicknamed "Van der Gea" at Atletico by his team-mates, this was largely due to a similarity in frame to the Dutchman. The youngster who rocked up at Old Trafford was vastly different, barely out of his teens, with a mere two full seasons of senior football in La Liga behind him and an eye-watering price tag of £18 million hanging heavy on his shoulders.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, his first few steps in English football were wobbly. A speculative shot from Edin Dzeko in the Community Shield flew underneath the new man and just a week later against West Brom a Shane Long effort crept through his hands and into the net.

His inexperience, slender frame and a weakness with high balls were targeted by opposition, particularly at set-pieces, and led to an air of uncertainty in the United defence that had been kept calm for so long by Van der Sar. 

Even Sir Alex Ferguson accepted as much, taking him out of the firing line and out of the team when the notoriously direct Bolton visited Old Trafford in January 2012. 

Yet his replacement that day and the man with whom he has battled to be No.1, Lindegaard, has failed to fully earn the manager's trust. The Dane is a self-confident, steady presence but, like the Spaniard, has also been guilty of some high-profile errors. 

A sloppy showing as United struggled to a 4-3 win at Reading in December, conceding three goals in the first 23 minutes, frustrated the fans and, while injury has played a part, Lindegaard has scraped just eight Premier League games this season, conceding a fairly unimpressive 11 goals. He has not played since the FA Cup victory over West Ham in January and, at 28, he may sense it is time to move on.

De Gea certainly has moved on. He is a far more confident presence in the United penalty area and, while he can still be seen flapping at crosses at times, his punching has improved considerably and those moments of agile brilliance are becoming a regular occurrence.

His kicking continues to be a huge asset, too, his laser-like distribution suiting United's love of a quick counterattack perfectly, while his unorthodox saves with his feet, which often drew criticism initially, are now earning applause. 

It was little surprise then to see him called up to the Spain squad with Pepe Reina and Victor Valdes for the World Cup qualifiers against Finland and France, little surprise either to see reports that Barcelona are lurking, keen to find a replacement for Valdes. It led De Gea to insist: "It is always nice to be linked with Barcelona but I am happy in Manchester with one of the best clubs in the world."

When it comes to replacements, Stoke, of course, already appear to be one step ahead of the game, having signed young Englishman Jack Butland in January. 

Relegation for Tony Pulis's men this season would surely see Begovic leave the Britannia Stadium and, at 25 he would bring experience to a United back line that is looking increasingly youthful with Rafael, Smalling, Jones and Alexander Buttner fighting to become regulars.

Indeed, with an impressive showing on Sunday there would be little doubt that Begovic's name will crop up in conversation when Pulis shares a glass of wine with Sir Alex at full-time on Sunday - yet if De Gea's improvement continues at its current rate, he may just be buying himself a headache.

Mourinho Works His Magic

 Madrid's new sweeper: How Mourinho plucked a Mexican cleaner from the gutter and gave him dream job at Real.

Football has little time for heart-warming stories these days, but if anyone is going to create a fairytale it's 'Special One' Jose Mourinho. In an extraordinary story, the Real Madrid manager plucked a down-and-out Mexican cleaner off the snowy streets of the Spanish capital and made him part of the club's backroom staff.

Abel Rodriguez, 41, who waxes floors in Los Angeles underground stations, had spent his last few dollars to fly over to Europe and try to watch El Clasico with Barcelona back in February. Without a ticket, or even a hotel reservation in Madrid, it seemed a forlorn hope that he would see the biggest game in world football, let alone meet any of the players.

Undeterred, Rodriguez made for Real's Valdebebas training complex upon arrival, seeking the consolation of at least seeing his heroes in preparation. He had no connection with them however, apart from a couple of weeks' unpaid work as an apparently anonymous ball boy during the Spanish giants' pre-season visit to California the previous summer, and was turned away by security.

Penniless, with nowhere to go and no chance of seeing the big game, Rodriguez sat shivering in the snow by the side of the road for five hours. Then, the magic happened.

'It was a miracle that I saw him,' Mourinho recalled to Sports Illustrated. 'I saw Abel seated on the road outside the training ground.

'I was leaving in my assistant Rui Faria's car, and there were a lot of people outside. But I told Rui, "Stop! It's the guy from Los Angeles".

'Amigo! What are you doing here?' Mourinho asked from the car.

'I come to visit you guys,' Rodriguez replied. 'It's my first time in Europe, and my dream has been to come and see games. I was hoping to see El Clasico.'

'But there are no more tickets,' Mourinho said. 'Where are you staying?'

'I haven't done anything about that,' the Mexican answered. 'My priority was to see you guys and then make my arrangements. If I didn't see you guys, I'd go to the stadium and try to get a ticket. And if that didn't work, I'd fly back home.'

If it had been remarkable in the first place that Mourinho had remembered the face of the helper from the UCLA training pitches they had used while in the States, then what he did next was truly remarkable. Mourinho booked Rodriguez a room for the night at the same hotel the Real team were staying before the Barcelona match and threw in VIP tickets.

But he was far from finished. Over dinner on the eve of the Clasico, Mourinho gave his new-found buddy a once-in-a-lifetime proposal - to work in his staff as a kit man for the forthcoming Champions League tie with Manchester United.

Mourinho said: 'I told him, 'No way (you're returning home), you come to Manchester with us and work as a kit man. You help us and you live a bigger dream, a Champions League match from the inside!'

Rodriguez dashed up to his hotel room and grabbed his passport so the arrangements for his new part-time job could be made. Overwhelmed by what had just happened, he burst into tears of joy at the Real dining table. A few days later, he was at Old Trafford, dressed head to toe in official Real uniform and helping to lay out the kit in the changing rooms.

He'd even become something of a good luck charm, with Mourinho and the players rubbing his stomach so good fortune rubbed off on them. After Real's controversial triumph that night, aided by Nani's red card, Rodriguez found himself intermediary between the rival changing rooms, fetching and carrying signed shirts and mementos between the two sets of players.

He was even asked by Sir Alex Ferguson to find Mourinho for their customary post-match glass of wine. Rodriguez returned home with plenty of his own souvenirs, including shirts worn by Javier Hernandez, Mesut Ozil, Kaka and Michael Essien, and one of the match balls.

Reflecting on the moment he left his wife Olga and three daughters in LA to make the trip to try and watch his beloved team, Rodriguez said: 'I was really indecisive about going, but the encouragement came from my wife, who said, 'You should go. It's always been your dream.'

I bet he's glad he did.

Xavi Makes History

Xavi makes history by completing 96 passes out of 96 (yes, that's 100%!)

It wasn't a perfect team performance from Barcelona, but Xavi enjoyed an remarkable evening: completing a staggering 100 per cent of his 96 passes in the match with Paris St Germain.  

The Catalan giants were made to sweat on their place in the Champions League semi-finals, they went behind after 50 minutes and only secured safe passage into the next round on away goals courtesy of Pedro's 71st-minute strike.

Many will point to the introduction of talisman Lionel Messi midway through the second-half as the key to the club's much-improved fortunes, but it was Xavi who produced an immaculate midfield masterclass.

The Spaniard, 33, came close to opening the scoring just minutes into the match with a deft free-kick which brushed the side netting - many in the stadium believed he had scored. He played the full 90 minutes of the match and found a team-mate with each of his passes - a feat matched by others in the last 10 years - but no one has managed it on such a scale.

Xavi's efforts topped the 100 per cent performance from Javier Zanetti against Tottenham three years ago and Arsenal cult hero Emmanuel Eboue is third on the list. But while the Spaniard managed nearly 100 completed passes, Zanetti and Eboue made 72 and 54 successful passes respectively in their matches.   

It's understandable a player of Cristiano Ronaldo's ability should feature on the list, but, remarkably, so does Chelsea defender John Terry for his impeccable performance against Werder Bremen in the 2008 competition.

The Brilliant Toto

"Everything else is boring". So sang Franco Califano, the Roman cantautore, who died towards the end of last month. He'd led, shall we say, a colourful life. Diego Maradona had him perform at a wedding in 1989.

Califano's memory and the words of his most famous song, which was recently rendered popular again by its appearance in the cult TV series Romanzo Criminale about the Banda della Magliana, were honoured magnificently on Sunday afternoon by a player who had been growing up in Naples at the time of Maradona: Antonio Di Natale.

After pouncing on a horrendous mistake by Chievo goalkeeper Christian Puggioni to give his side the lead at Friuli, the veteran Udinese striker pulled off his jersey to reveal a T-shirt underneath bearing a picture of Califano. He was booked by referee Antonio Damato and will miss his side's next match against Parma.

Not that Di Natale was cowed by it. Five minutes later, he struck again. Shuttling down the right, his teammate Roberto Pereyra hung a diagonal pass up towards the left-hand side of the penalty area. It was an acute angle but the ball was there to be plucked out from the sky like an apple from a tree. Di Natale hit it on the run, on the volley, low and true and back across goal. The shot flew inside the far post.

"Everything else is boring."

Califano's song felt particularly apt at that moment. What could possibly be better, more beautiful than this goal? Nothing. And that's really saying something in Serie A, particularly on a weekend that wasn't lacking in drama and great goals elsewhere on the peninsula.

Il Corriere della Sera described Di Natale's second as a "volleyed masterpiece alla Marco van Basten." For many, though, it called to mind Francesco Totti's for Roma against Sampdoria at Marassi in 2006. These were goals that transcended overall performance. Which they should and they shouldn't. Because Di Natale was excellent from kick-off to full-time.

When Chievo pulled one back through a Paul Papp header, he kept looking for another to put the result beyond any doubt. Eventually he found it, hooking a pass across goal for Mehdi Benatia to prod in from close range to make it 3-1 in the 85th minute and secure victory.

"Before the game Toto was a little nervous," Benatia revealed. "But then he cast a spell on it." The pre-match agita was understandable. Di Natale hadn't scored in just over a month, an eternity for him. He'd missed a penalty against Bologna the previous weekend that might well have turned a frustrating 0-0 draw into a 1-0 win.

Sunday's brace, a league-high fifth of the season, were his 16th and 17th goals of the campaign, his 169th and 170th in Serie A. They had the effect of an exorcism. Another 20-goal year, which would be his fourth in a row, now looks back on the cards. "He's manna from heaven," coach Francesco Guidolin said, "a species to be protected."

It's true, Di Natale is a rare thing in today's game. Next year will mark a decade at Udinese for him. The town has adopted the Neapolitan as one of its own and, as a token of his gratitude, he has stayed unwaveringly loyal.

When Juventus launched a bid to sign Di Natale in 2010, he became one of the few players, along with Cagliari's Gigi Riva in the late '60s, to reject the Old Lady's advances. Saying 'no' to her, refusing an offer that so many can't refuse, consolidated his place in Udinese folklore.

What he would do subsequently - becoming the first player since Beppe Signori to be named Capocannoniere in consecutive years, and leading his team to fourth and third place finishes in Serie A - left many with the impression that Di Natale merits consideration as the club's greatest ever player.

"There are people without too many adjectives [spent on them] and about whom there are very few words, only substance," wrote Maurizio Crosetti in La Repubblica. "There are stories without crests [like Balotelli's, El Shaarawy's et al], showgirls and peroxide hair. There's one about Toto Di Natale... a great champion who isn't at Barcelona, nor Juventus, but at Udinese."

If Barcelona are more than a club then there's a temptation to say Di Natale has been more than a football player down the years. Maybe that's to indulge in the hyperbole that he's never been entirely comfortable with. But his was an extraordinary act of kindness after the death of former team-mate Piermario Morosini last year.

Aware that the player's severely disabled older sister was now on her own - tragically their mother had passed away when Piermario was 15, their father died soon after and their disabled brother had killed himself - Di Natale promised to take care of her. "It is essential to stay by the side of Piermario's sister for her entire life," he said. "She needs us and we want to help, both for her and for Mario."

There aren't many out there like Di Natale. He's the one player Udinese's celebrated scouting department perhaps can't replace. "I hope he stays on," Guidolin said after Sunday's game. "He's a great player. I've never had one like him."

Guidolin knows Di Natale is considering whether to retire or not at the end of the season. Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport last month, Toto, who'll turn 36 in October, said: "I don't feel my age but after 20 years of football the training sessions are beginning to weigh on me. I still enjoy the game a lot. I'll make a decision in June. I want [time] to stop and think about what the best solution is."

The ice cream parlour he owns in Udine can surely wait. Putting pen to paper on a new contract would, at least for the club, be a much better scoop.

Ageless Beckham For England

Thank goodness for David Beckham. What would England do without their country’s most visible male? English clubs were facing the latter stages of a Champions League competition bereft of English involvement, thinking they had kissed all interest goodbye in the world’s most significant club competition, when the man with perfect grooming steps into the breach. Paris St Germain are still there. Just.

Their 2-2 home draw with Barcelona last night may well prove not to be enough to facilitate further progress. But it could have been a lot worse.

And the good news is, the reason it wasn’t a lot worse was because of the illustrious Englishman in the middle of the PSG midfield. Beckham’s industrious performance, hectoring and driving his team mates forward, dominated the reporting of the game in the English press. Rightly so: he was excellent.

Never wasteful in possession, always engaged, always alert and keen, those quarter back passes perfectly conducted. The model professional. But better still, he maintains an English foothold in the competition. For that, the English can be but pitifully grateful.

He really is a remarkable character, Beckham. Not just in his physical condition, which, according to those who take an interest in such things, like a good wine appears to improve with age.

Not just in his extraordinary grooming (ten minutes after the end of a game I saw him play for PSG against Marseille recently, he was addressing the media looking absolutely immaculate, not a crease or disturbance in his attire, his suit worth more than my house, his tie ramrod straight, his hair perfect, his smile on full beam; and he smelt lovely). But what he is getting really good at is his unerring ability to put himself right in the middle of the story.

In more than a of decade of being a football fan, I have never seen anyone with such an unfailing eye for ensuring he is the thing we are talking about. Watching him in action over the years, I have come to be in awe of his natural facility for placing himself at the heart of things.

He doesn’t need a platoon of PR advisers to plot his course. He doesn’t need a dresser to straighten his tie. He just switches on the smile and steps forward. As he does so, every head turns in his direction. Like the ultimate social sorcerer, everyone is charmed.

You could see that at the Sports Personality of the Year ceremony last December. Here he was in an Olympic year in which he had played no sporting part, placing himself at the heart of the biggest story in the island’s sporting history.

In every picture of Bradley Wiggins receiving his honour, there is Becks in the background smiling that beatific smile of his, daring the eye to look elsewhere.

A skill like his has been parodied in many a creative invention: he is the football version of Woody Allen’s Zelig, the sporting Forrest Gump, the athletic equivalent of Kenneth Twomey, the hero of Anthony Burgess’s fantastic novel Earthly Powers.These were all made-up characters who somehow found themselves at the centre of every historic event of note, pictured alongside everyone from Hitler to Marilyn Monroe.

Always there, always catching the eye of the lens. There is nothing made up about Beckham: he is doing it before our eyes.

And still we lap it up. This morning the radio was reporting that he would like to be considered for England duty. One decent Champions League performance and suddenly Roy Hodgson’s destiny is clear. Though if the English somehow limp to Brazil, you get the feeling Becks will be in the picture, whether he is chosen to play or not.

There are those who find this capacity of his intensely irritating. Some fulminate against its application for commercial ends. Some claim he turns serious sport into a circus. In truth, some simply find his flawless physicality offensive.

Personally, I think it should be celebrated. There is something endearing about his remorseless pursuit of fame. It is a skill, beautifully conducted.

And besides, never mind the money-making capacity he has to be pictured in every paper, if Beckham wasn’t there at PSG, if he had decided to retire properly after his four years of relaxing in LA, there would not be a single English representative left in the Champions League.

It may be tenuous, it may be about to come to the most definitive of ends on the pitch at the Camp Nou, but at least thanks to him, the English can cling in there. Imagine if the most patriotic of Englishmen wasn’t there, flying the flag.

The only thing the English would have to look forward to is the chance that Howard Webb might referee the final. And that really is desperate.