Gary Neville’s Testimonial match took place this evening, where Old Trafford welcomed the Class of ’92 with some returning stars including David Beckham, Phil Neville and Nicky Butt. Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes also joined the Reds’ captain. They played Juventus who brought out a familiar Alessandro Del Piero.The Italian squad did overcome United 2-1, but that doesn’t mean they won the match. The looks on the faces of the past and present United squad members was priceless. When Gary couldn’t reach a cross, he and Becks shared a nice laugh. In reality, David, Phil and Nicky all played great games. Phil definetly put is some great tackles but made awesome runs up the left flank as well. Nicky provided superb passing in the center of the pitch. Of course Beckham brought the factor he is famous for, long balls and crosses. Giggs and Scholes also played great, Giggs setting up United goal, and Scholes provided great balls from the center of the pitch. And lastly, the man himself, Gary Neville played really good game, and you could tell he has been training for this match. He made daring runs past up the right side, waiting to receive the ball from Beckham.
After only 18 minutes, Giggs fed the assist to Rooney who made it 1-0. Pepe scored in the 40th minute and Giandonato in the 78th from a freekick. All the goals were great, and for it being a friendly match, you couldn’t be disappointed. You also have to take into consideration that the Red Devils have a tremendous match coming up against Barcelona in the Champions League final, therefore made a crucial triple substitution in the 30th minute. Giggs, Scholes and Rooney came off, allowing Bebe, Obertan and Gibson to come on. It was clear that this match was for fun. Goalkeeper Tomas Kusczak didn’t return at halftime, allowing Lindegaard some playing time. Owen also got to have some playing time today and had some good opportunities.
On a side note, both Beckham and Owen wore a number 7 jersey tonight, and Nicky Butt and Anderson shared number 8. It was definitely the best choice to let the returning players share the numbers the made an exit in. Beckham also gave the crowd a sneak preview of his upcoming Adidas Predator Adipower color way. This color way has not been up for pre-order yet, meaning they were going to release them on the official release date. The boots were Gold with Red stripes. Perhaps he picked these colors specifically for this match. Gold, because he is returning to his favorite club and red because of United team colors. Beckham is the Predator’s most famous player, so for quite some time, he has had his own series of colors for the boots.
All in all, I want to point out that this was a great chance to relive David, Nicky and Phil in a United shirt once again. But, this may not be the last time for Beckham. In November, his contract with L.A. Galaxy will come to an end, and who knows what Ferguson has up his sleeve. He might very well sign Becks again after seeing his performance tonight and how every time he touched the ball, the fans went wild. But that is something we won’t know until the time comes. It was also a great way for G.Neville to retire, after spending his life, playing for one club and being one of the best defensive players of his time. I’m sure Giggs and Scholes will have as big of an exit when they decide their time is up. Back on New Years Day, when Gary announced his retirement, he was asked why. He was a real man about it and said he couldn’t keep up and he truly felt it. He didn’t try to force another year out; instead he went out on top.
Cheers to Gary Neville for devoting his entire professional career to Manchester United. Truly a great player and a Red Devil at that.
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