By Nigel Bunyan
MORE than 400,000 people converged on Manchester last night
to give a carnival-style welcome to the conquering heroes of
the European Cup Final.
Manchester United had long laid claim to being the world's
most popular football team. Yesterday, as they flew home to
parade their three trophies, only the most cynical could
have any doubts. The greeting they received on their seven-
mile "glory parade" was tumultuous. Thousands of fans,
bedecked in red and festooned with flags and favours, lined
every street.
Greater Manchester police estimated that 150,000 fans were
in the city centre to greet the team and at least another
250,000 lined the rest of the route. Many had begun the
party the day before. By the time the Class of '99 touched
down at Manchester Airport, with goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel
first to hold aloft the European Cup, they were running on
adrenalin.
Scores of companies allowed their employees to leave early:
in part to avoid the congestion but also because many would
leave anyway. The march on the city centre began hours
before Alex Ferguson's team had left Barcelona. Sounding
their horns, hundreds of cars formed a chaotic cavalcade
through the streets. Fans hung out of windows or poked their
heads through sunroofs. Some of those on foot clung from
traffic lights, others climbed on top of telephone boxes or
leaned out from the windows of buildings.
A deafening roar greeted the players as United's open-top
bus pulled into Manchester Arena, where 17,500 fans watched
the team parade their trophies. In the wake of United's
victory a new number has appeared on the back of the club's
replica shirts - 99.
William Hill yesterday stopped taking bets on Alex
Ferguson receiving a knighthood. The company had earlier
reduced its odds from 50-1 to evens
