Of Being an Official 'Red Devil'

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Weekend of 27th & 28th October

What a weekend for football. In England, Arsenal was playing at Liverpool which Arsene Wenger’s men should have won hands down if not for 2 open goal misses. Over a relatively short distance away in Italy, AC Milan was having a go at Roma which the Roman’s won 1-0 even though they can afford to miss a penalty. In Spain, Sevilla entertained the bewildered players from Valencia, and the fate of Valencia’s manager hanged in the balance as only victory would guarantee Mr. Quique Sanchez Flores’ job for another week. Valencia duly lost 3-0, thus dramatically dropping the axe on Mr. Flores. And in Germany, Bayern Munich was at the throats of Dortmund’s industrious players, but the superstars of Munich can only muster a draw. But for me, the pinnacle of my weekend football euphoria was not at the plains of Spain or the sunny coasts of Italy. No, it was in Malaysia. No, it was not even close to any football field in Malaysia. It was in fact, closer than any distance measurable. It was close to my skin. So close in fact, it drapes around my upper body like a flag of pride, joy and glory. If you still have no idea what I'm talking about, i'm talking about the latest football jersey from one of the greatest club in the world: Manchester United. Yes, I bought United’s latest home jersey. What?! Have I gone bonkers spending close to RM 300 bucks on a shirt? No, in fact I haven’t gone bonkers or suffered a pang of Britain’s latest mad cow disease. Why I bought it is because a friend of mine is working at AIA in the Bukit Jalil offices, and AIA being the main sponsor of Man United, they can get the jerseys for a reduced price of RM 150, without buying any con-job insurance. Being relatively cheaper than the market price at the moment, and the jersey being flown direct from UK, I was assured a low price and guaranteed originality. Balancing the pros and cons, I took the offer and eventually the jersey feel onto my hands last Sunday. Thanks very much to L.E. for the offer and very special delivery (me and L.E. were suppose to meet up with friends and hand over the jersey to me, but apparently L.E. forgot to bring it and L.E. went all the way back home to get. God bless her. Amen). At long last, we shall behold below the images that is the pride and joy of my wardrobe:
Front View: The 'Red Devils' badge. I'm now an official Devil!
Back View: The white stripes of MUFC.

Withdrawn Frontal View: AIG = Alex Is God?

But the jersey would not be complete without the names and numbers of my favorite players, would it? I’ve thought long and hard about which player I should print on the back of the jersey. And in true honesty, I’m still thinking about it haha. Because I still can’t decide. Should I put Ryan Giggs, one of my all time favorite player and a legend at Mand Utd? But I already have his name printed on my old Man Utd jersey. So, should I put Christiano Ronaldo, one of the best tricksters and attacking player in the current squad? But his name is so common, anyone can catch his name from Petaling Street to Pavillion. What about Nani instead? He is labeled the upcoming Christiano Ronaldo. But, his future may yet be uncertain. But a tempting choice would be Carlos Tevez. Now, I like him as a player: he is fast, smart, skillful and is never dull to watch. In other words, Tevez is a world class player with world class footballing ethics (i.e. he doesn’t do diving). Tempting, tempting!!! And yet, there is still Rooney, Scholes, Hargreaves, Vidic & Anderson to ponder on. So much to ponder, and only 1 jersey to print on. Dammit!!! Anyway, i think, with 80 % probability, that the name I will print on my jersey would be....drum roll please....Carlos Alberto Tevez. Yes, he beats Giggs and Scholes to it as he holds a sentimental place in my heart, partly because whenever I play my Ps2 game 'Pro Evo Soccer' I just keep on scoring with him. And during his West Ham, Boca Junior and World Cup matches he never fails to excite my football tastebuds. He is a top player with flair, panache and goals as a player. Thus I think he is the right choice to grace the back of my Man Utd jersey. Agree or disagree? Thoughts and comments would help, guys and gals. Anyway, here's a snapshot of what Carlos Tevez and his number would look like if my intentions succeed:

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