I started mildly following European club soccer in 1999 when I saw something amazing on SportsCenter.  Down 1-0 in injury time in the the Champions League Final, Manchester United was up against it vs. Bayern Munich.  With just minutes, maybe seconds to go, United tied the game on a goal in a desperate raid on the German sides' penalty box. 

Tied 1-1, it seemed like the game was destined for overtime, but the Red Devils earned the last kick of the game by forcing a corner kick.  They turned that corner kick into the winning goal and I can only imagine the mass jubilation that set off across the pond.

Fast forward to 2004 and I'm studying abroad in London.  Studying may not be the most accurate term, but I was definitely soaking up the British culture.  I made it to the pub every day that there was English Premier League or Champions League FOOTBALL on TV.  I know you all think its boring, but when you understand the passion and tradition that goes into supporting these clubs, you get hooked for life.  

I continued to root for Manchester United despite living down the street from Arsenal, a London club that was in the midst of the first undefeated season in English football in a century.  United was rebuilding around a talented young Portuguese winger who had a pension for falling down when anyone breathed on him.  Within a year, they would add a burly young English forward who had a pension for losing his mind when the slightest thing went against him.  

It was an entertaining bunch, but considering they had the reputation for being the greatest club in world football, they were largely disappointing.  As my fandom grew, so did this team and those two kids grew into Christiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney.  

They won the Premier League in 2007 and were primed to do it again in 2008, but the prize they really wanted was the Champions League title.  In order to get it, they would have to defeat their EPL rivals Chelsea in the final.  Chelsea had been a dominant force in recent years ever since they were purchased by Russian cagillionaire Roman Abramovich.  If you think the Yankees try and buy titles, you would really hate Chelsea.

It was the showdown that everyone wanted to see, the best two teams in the world with the most important prize at stake.  United opened the scoring, but Chelsea quickly answered back.  And it stayed that away as each team squandered chances and the woodwork helped Manchester United deny Chelsea more than once.

As the game wore on the tension built and it was clearly destined to end in a penalty shootout.  Penalties are the best and worst way to decide a major soccer game.  There is no match for the drama, but it's as arbitrary as having a free-throw shooting competition end a basketball game.  

Both teams had made all their kicks when Christiano Ronaldo walked to the spot.  It was amazing to see Ronaldo grow from a player that was "the best player on both teams" to the best player in the world.  But he had developed a strange habit this season when taking penalties.  He would run at the ball, stop, wait for the goalie to move and then finish his kick.  Technically, it's not even legal, as a penalty kick is supposed to be taken in one continuous motion.

Well, he did it again in this most crucial of shootouts and it cost him.  Like a hitch in a golf swing or jump shot, it led to a miss under pressure and United was up against it.  

Chelsea made their first four kicks and needed just one more to seal the Champions League.  Up stepped John Terry, the Blues Skipper and emotional heartbeat.  Terry was a center-back, so not exactly an offensive force, but he was their leader and this was his time to bring it home.  

United's veteran Dutch goalie Edwin Van Der Sar was left to guess one more time.  The big Dutchman went the wrong way leaving half the net for Terry to shoot at, but he slipped and sent the ball sailing WIDE RIGHT!  It was a crushing moment for Terry and everyone, save for the most devout Chelsea fans, knew that it meant the end for the Blues.

Three kicks of the ball later, Nicholas Anelka, a Frenchman who was once know as Le Incredible Sulk, stepped to the spot and fired it into Van Der Sar's gloves.  United had won it!  The trophy that their famed manager Sir Alex Ferguson had prolonged his legendary career to win at least one more time was his again.

The greatest club in world football was back on top of world football, but it wasn't easy.