Finland welcomed two Manchester United legends last weekend for a memorable event celebrating the 1968 European Cup triumph.
10-years on after the Munich Air Disaster, which cost the lives of eight Manchester United players, Sir Matt Busby led the club to European glory.
After beating Benfica 4-1 in the final, Manchester United became the first English club to become European champions. Sir Bobby Charlton scored a brace while George Best and Brian Kidd got their names on the scoresheet.
Sir Matt Busby named the following line-up at Wembley: Alex Stepney; Shay Brennan, Bill Foulkes, David Sadler, Tony Dunne; Paddy Crerand, Sir Bobby Charlton, Nobby Stiles; George Best, Brian Kidd, John Aston.
United have gone on to claim the European Cup twice since 1968 – winning the treble in 1999 and the double in 2008.
Now, United’s first-team leaves a lot to be desired, with the Reds sitting 13th in the Premier League and at risk of missing out on European football next season.
Ruben Amorim has a huge job on his hands to restore former glories at Old Trafford.
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Special Manchester United event takes place in Helsinki
Manchester United legends Alex Stepney and John Aston had a weekend to remember in Finland.
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Stepney and Aston travelled to Helsinki for a Legends Weekend to celebrate United’s first European Cup triumph back in 1968. The iconic duo were meant to be joined by Brian Kidd, who had to pull out of the event due to a knee injury.
Both players started against Benfica in the 1968 European Cup final victory, with Aston being named man of the match.
Jere Virtanen, who organised the event, has previously hosted United legends in his homeland. He runs the Helsinki Red Room, which is one of the best museums dedicated to the club in the world, featuring rare memorabilia and collectables.
The 39-year-old lifestyle entrepreneur has revealed that Stepney and Aston watched the 1968 European Cup final in full for the first time in Helsinki.
“It was absolutely mind-blowing from day one,” Virtanen told United in Focus.
“Compared to what I had two and a half years ago when we had 15 former players in Finland. It was super back then but it was more hectic because we tried to do everything within four days.”
Virtanen, who has followed United across the world, tried to maintain a low-profile weekend without too many activities. It included food, drinks and some sightseeing.
On Saturday night, over 50 attendees celebrated United’s iconic triumph in 1968. They put on a screening of the match, which Virtanen was happy to reflect on.
“It was amazing to watch the 1968 final with lads who played there,” he added. “Neither of them had seen the whole game before, so they had seen the highlights only. It felt really special.”
The Q&A section of the event proved to be a success, with Stepney and Aston impressing the audience with stories and insight about the Busby Babes. It went on 40 minutes longer than scheduled as fans were gifted a night to remember.
“I already knew Alex [Stepney] was really good with Q&As, but what they did at the ’68 Night on Saturday was absolutely unbelievable.
“The Q&A was meant to be 20 minutes. It lasted almost one hour. We had chairs, but the lads stood for it all. The amazing stories they told us [about matters] on and off the pitch.”
Plans for major Manchester United event in Lapland
Although Virtanen is winding down from a busy weekend, after bringing Manchester United closer to Finland, his drive continues to shine through as he explains plans for a bigger event in 2027.
Virtanen has set an objective to take 30-50 former United players to Lapland for a week-long event. It’s certainly ambitious, but this is a United fan who boasts an impressive book of contacts.
“The Lapland idea is crazy,” Virtanen admits. “There’s a lot of things coming before that, so it’s not like having this in Helsinki and then Lapland.
“We are bringing the Helsinki Red Room to Stockholm when United plays there on the pre-season tour. We go to New York, Chicago and Atalanta with pop-up red rooms and fun activities. “We will be active in between and also next year we’re going to arrange a Legends Weekend in Finland which will be closer to the scale of what we had last weekend.
“But the Lapland case – 30, 40, 50 former players – you name it. I’ve started talking about this to people I know and it could be hundreds or even more than 1,000 fans. If one takes his/her family with them, one can be five, six, maybe eight.”
Virtanen plans to turn Lapland red with Manchester United rather than Santa Clause, although the week will include extra activities, such as spectating local wildlife, attending a gala dinner and more.
“We’re going to play football in the snow and we’re going to arrange a snow golf tournament, maybe even drive a little bit with cars on ice. It will be an experience not only for the travelling fans and their families, but also it will be a completely different experience for the players who come.”
Virtanen has exciting plans for United fans across the world. A red room full of United memorabilia could be coming close to you soon.