Manchester United will try to inspire their players with an emotive tribute to Sir Matt Busby at the Champions League final against Barcelona in Rome next Wednesday. Busby would have turned 100 on the eve of the final, the 10th anniversary of Sir Alex Ferguson's first European Cup success, and the club have received permission from Uefa to create a huge mosaic in honour of their former manager at the end of the Stadio Olimpico that houses United's supporters.
The mosaic will spell "For Sir Matt" and will be made up of 16,000 red and white sheets, including a black and white portrait of the man who has been described by Ferguson as "the heartbeat of Manchester United". It will be unveiled shortly before kick-off and the organisers, the Stretford End Flags group, say they hope it will "inspire the team" and be "a tribute to the Godfather of football and the architect of the modern Manchester United".
Busby, who died in 1994, was manager at Old Trafford from 1945 to 1969, surviving the Munich air disaster, and had a second spell in charge during the 1970-71 season. As well as winning the league five times and the FA Cup twice, his 1968 team, including George Best and Bobby Charlton, were the first-ever English side to win the European Cup, beating Benfica 4–1 at Wembley.
"We wanted to do something to mark Sir Matt's 100th birthday and we were approached by the fans with an idea that would recognise the role he had played in the club's unique place in Europe," the United chief executive, David Gill, said . "Alex liked the idea straight away. The mosaic will remind millions of people around the world what a great man Sir Matt was."
United have also invited Busby's son, Sandy, and daughter Sheena to be the club's guests in Rome and attend a dinner with the club's directors on Tuesday evening.
"It's going to be really heart-rending when the mosaic is lifted up and I'm sure there are going to be a few tears from my sister and myself," said Sandy. "My dad would have been so proud and pleased. He was a sentimental man and he would be absolutely delighted that the fans still remember him with such affection and still sing songs in his honour but this is something else – he will be the proudest man in heaven."
Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, has said he is not the least interested in what is going on at Real Madrid. "I'm sure [Florentino] Pérez would create an incredible team at Madrid but at the moment I'm at United and I don't care about what happens there. I only care about what will happen next season at United."
