New Delhi: Manchester is all set to overtake Milan as the soccer capital of Europe when two Manchester clubs will vie for top honours on May 14, 2011, with Manchester City taking on Stoke City in the FA Cup finals and Manchester United on the verge of a record-breaking 19th EPL title against the Blackburn Rovers.
Last time when both the Manchester Clubs won trophies in the same year was way back in 1968, when Manchester City won the first division title with victory at Newcastle and a fortnight later Manchester United became the first English Club to win the European Cup, now called the Champions League. But never has it happened on the same day.
In 1968, Manchester United fans gave City fans at least a fortnight to celebrate the domestic success but later it was completely overshadowed by United's European success.
On Saturday, however, there is a chance that United won't give their local rivals even a moment of celebration.
Wembley's hosting the May 28 Champions League final means that for the first time English football's traditional end-of-season showpiece is taking place alongside a round of Premier League fixtures.
Should Manchester United avoid a defeat at Ewood Park in their lunchtime match, they will be crowned Premier League champions before City would have even kicked off against Stoke in the FA Cup final. But looking at the positive side of it, we may also see, at the end of the day, England's two biggest trophies sitting pretty in the two halves of Manchester - the Blue half and the Red half - after a long wait of 43 years.
Manchester now boasts of two of the richest clubs in the world of football. On one side Manchester City has millions of money to spend on any player they want and on the other Manchester United are the richest club in the world according to 'Forbes' and they have the legacy that every player in the world wants to join them.
While United's 18 EPL and three Champions League titles are the best in Europe, City has recently qualified for the Champions League for the first time in their history. But with millions to be invested next season, who knows Manchester City could be the surprise package and give United a run for their money.
"I think it is good," said Sir Alex Ferguson about Manchester's two teams being in the ascendancy. Ferguson being Ferguson, he showed no interest in what happens at Wembley on Saturday. "I am only interested in ourselves; I don’t care what happens down there."
Ferguson also saw history at work here. "The North has always had great periods of success, United and City in the 1960s had periods of dominance and then there's Liverpool in the 1980s.
But unlike Liverpool and Everton, these days United and City are two internationally owned and staffed institutions that happen to be based in Manchester and spending lavishly on players and winning trophies.
And talking about the home of football, this day can be seen as the rising of Manchester and possibly taking over Milan as the soccer capital.
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