Football ... bloody hell

"I have to congratulate Ferguson on his fantastic career as Manchester United manager. Just look at all the titles he has won", said Nadal after winning his Madrid Masters 1000 second-round game against Frenchman Benoît Paire.

The Spaniard highlighted that Ferguson "deserves to quietly enjoy his life away from the dugout after such an intense career", concluded Nadal.

I know this might seem like a strange post for a fan blog dedicated to Rafa ... but scratch the surface and what lies beneath is this other layer to my character ... Football Wooffs.

My lovely friend, Rafan, once famously said to me that if she'd met Football Wooffs before she met Tennis Wooffs ... she would have had nothing to do with me.  :D 

I've supported Manchester United all my life, and my memories go back far, but I thought I'd write a little ditty tonight because even if you know nothing about football or loathe my team ... you come to this blog because of the love of a sport - tennis - and because of a tribal following of a particular player - Rafa - and so I think that you'll recognise how passionately I feel about something outside of Rafa and tennis, and how very sad I am to lose such a character of a sport.

Sir Alex Ferguson's football teams occurred in full blossom of my youth, and evoke such memories in me that I've spent the vast majority of the afternoon after Rafa's match just blubbing my eyes out.

I remember that magical night when United finally won the league after 26 long years; I remember suffering from the flu and lying on the couch in my ex-partner's striped dressing gown watching Eric Cantona score the goals to bring us back to 2-2 in the Manchester derby of November 1993 and Roy Keane scoring the winning goal.  I remember the first League and Cup double, and Eric's kung fu kick, and going into work the next day with the warning that nobody had better speak to me.  I remember feeling sick that Mark Hughes had been sold to Chelsea in 1995 and that Ferguson was going to famously invest in kids.  I remember being in my friend's house one Sunday afternoon in 1997 when the early evening news announced Eric Cantona's shock retirement and she told me not to cry.

I remember saying that it was my absolute dream to see Manchester United in a European Cup final just once in my lifetime.  I remember thumping the mattress with my feet in absolute delight in bed that night after I'd watch Roy Keane play the match of his life and we beat Juventus to finally make my dream a reality.  I remember another ex-partner telling me to prepare myself that Arsenal were going to beat us in the FA Cup semi-final in 1999 before Giggsy went on that run, scored that goal, took off his shirt and waved it around his head.  I was doing a similar run around his living room.  I remember that last gasp winner in Barcelona, screeching my head off and realising that I'd better start investing in Tena Lady.

I remember Rudd Van Nistlerooy's hat tricks and making a phone call to my Dad in August 2003 after watching the debut of a gangly Cristiano Ronaldo and telling him that we'd found our new superstar.  I remember being in Old Trafford on that glorious night in 2008 at the final leg of the semi final of the European Cup against Barcelona, when Paul Scholes had Lionel Messi in his pocket and scored the goal that took us to the European Cup final again.  I remember being in Budapest on holiday on the night of that final, and someone knocking on my door as I once again screamed and hollered at a United win.  I remember the hangover the next day also.

If you know me from Twitter, you'll know that my little dog Rose is the centre of my world, and I gave up my season ticket after I got her because I needed to afford the time to my little furry pal.  I miss it sometimes,  and I don't collect the memories in the same way now.  But I've had a magnificent time following Sir Alex Ferguson's teams and the glory that he helped to bring to the Club.  

As I said, this is a strange - and possibly self indulgent post - but I'm collecting memories of another kind watching Rafa.  And this is what sport does for you.  You have the lows, but some magnificent highs and it brings you life experiences that you would never have thought imaginable.

So thank you, Sir Alex Ferguson.  I loved it.