Old Trafford was the venue of the 2003 Champions League final – an Italian showdown between two of the peninsula’s most successful teams, Milan and Juventus.
2006 World Cup winner Marcello Lippi, who was incharge of the Bianconeri back then, has reminisced the occasion, deeming that Juventus could have won the match if they had one of their suspended stars available.
Pavel Nedved picked up two yellow cards in Juventus’ second leg of the semi-finals against Real Madrid at the Stadio delle Alpi, and thus was suspended for the final against Milan.
Lippi was full of praise for the Czech Republic legend, saying that he would play the most important game of his life with him.
“I am convinced that during Milan-Juventus if Nedved had been there we would have won. I would play the most important game of my life with him,” he said (via Calciomercato).
Finally, he remembered how Juventus dismantled El Clasico giants Barcelona and Real Madrid in the quarter and semi-finals respectively, enroute to the Final.
He said: “In 2003, with Juve, we massacred Spanish football, we also won against Barcelona.”
Milan eventually won the 2002/03 Champions League final 3-2 on penalties as Andriy Shevchenko latched away the decisive penalty to hand the Rossoneri their sixth European title.