AC Milan v Juventus – never before (nor since) had the Champions League final been an all-Italian affair. And while it finished 0-0 after extra time at Old Trafford, don’t dismiss this game as boring – rather, it was tense and absorbing. Both goalkeepers had standout moments: Gianluigi Buffon made an incredible save from a Filippo Inzaghi header; Dida stopped three penalties in the shoot-out. The Brazilian’s heroics allowed Shevchenko to fire in the winner and Maldini to lift the trophy 40 years after his dad, Cesare, had done the same thing for the same team.
Did you know?
Milan’s triumph meant Clarence Seedorf became the first – and still the only – player to win the Champions League with three different clubs (Ajax and Real Madrid being the other two).
This was the season Cristiano Ronaldo made his Champions League debut as a sub in a losing cause for Sporting Lisbon in qualifying against Inter. His namesake was still centre stage though, notably with a hat-trick against Manchester United at Old Trafford to send Real Madrid through to the last four. It was a performance so devastating that he was applauded off by all sides of the ground.
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The adidas Predator Mania, worn by David Beckham and made so famous the season prior by that Zinédine Zidane goal in the final.
AC Milan v Juventus – never before (nor since) had the Champions League final been an all-Italian affair. And while it finished 0-0 after extra time at Old Trafford, don’t dismiss this game as boring – rather, it was tense and absorbing. Both goalkeepers had standout moments: Gianluigi Buffon made an incredible save from a Filippo Inzaghi header; Dida stopped three penalties in the shoot-out. The Brazilian’s heroics allowed Shevchenko to fire in the winner and Maldini to lift the trophy 40 years after his dad, Cesare, had done the same thing for the same team.
Did you know?
Milan’s triumph meant Clarence Seedorf became the first – and still the only – player to win the Champions League with three different clubs (Ajax and Real Madrid being the other two).
This was the season Cristiano Ronaldo made his Champions League debut as a sub in a losing cause for Sporting Lisbon in qualifying against Inter. His namesake was still centre stage though, notably with a hat-trick against Manchester United at Old Trafford to send Real Madrid through to the last four. It was a performance so devastating that he was applauded off by all sides of the ground.
The adidas Predator Mania, worn by David Beckham and made so famous the season prior by that Zinédine Zidane goal in the final.
This light-blue Kappa classic was Auxerre’s Champions League-specific away shirt and it’s a minimalist marvel. Old-timer Guy Roux was in charge of these snappy dressers – a world away from what Auxerre were wearing when he first took charge in 1961.
A Milanese match-up in the semi-finals ended with the Rossoneri progressing on ‘away’ goals at their home ground thanks to an Andriy Shevchenko strike shortly before half-time. The two ties were played within a week of each other and Paolo Maldini recalls “a wild mix of stress and emotions in town. I don’t remember another tour de force like it emotionally. At the final whistle we were obviously happy, but also empty after so many days of high tension.”
Ruud van Nistelrooy, Manchester United’s flying Dutchman, came out on top with 12 goals in nine games, the most since José Altafini scored 14 for AC Milan when they won in 1962/63.
Sport
Roger Federer won his first ever grand slam – at Wimbledon, of course. And, like Buffon, he’s still going 17 years later. Talking of longevity, 2003 was also the year that Michael Jordan retired at the age of 40 (for the third and final time).
Film
It’s hard to look beyond a sword-wielding Uma Thurman in her Bruce Lee-inspired yellow jumpsuit in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill: Volume 1. But a special mention also for Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, which won a record-equalling 11 Oscars.
Music
Our nod goes to Ms Dynamite’s infectious Dy-Na-Mi-Tee which is still “blowin’ up the stereo” all these years on. Great vid too, and the top tune on the FIFA 2003 soundtrack.
Books
Michael Lewis’s Moneyball hit shelves, with its story of Billy Beane and his overachieving Oakland A’s changing perceptions of how to build a winning team. Liverpool, among others, took note.
AC Milan v Juventus – never before (nor since) had the Champions League final been an all-Italian affair. And while it finished 0-0 after extra time at Old Trafford, don’t dismiss this game as boring – rather, it was tense and absorbing. Both goalkeepers had standout moments: Gianluigi Buffon made an incredible save from a Filippo Inzaghi header; Dida stopped three penalties in the shoot-out. The Brazilian’s heroics allowed Shevchenko to fire in the winner and Maldini to lift the trophy 40 years after his dad, Cesare, had done the same thing for the same team.
Did you know?
Milan’s triumph meant Clarence Seedorf became the first – and still the only – player to win the Champions League with three different clubs (Ajax and Real Madrid being the other two).
This was the season Cristiano Ronaldo made his Champions League debut as a sub in a losing cause for Sporting Lisbon in qualifying against Inter. His namesake was still centre stage though, notably with a hat-trick against Manchester United at Old Trafford to send Real Madrid through to the last four. It was a performance so devastating that he was applauded off by all sides of the ground.
The adidas Predator Mania, worn by David Beckham and made so famous the season prior by that Zinédine Zidane goal in the final.
AC Milan v Juventus – never before (nor since) had the Champions League final been an all-Italian affair. And while it finished 0-0 after extra time at Old Trafford, don’t dismiss this game as boring – rather, it was tense and absorbing. Both goalkeepers had standout moments: Gianluigi Buffon made an incredible save from a Filippo Inzaghi header; Dida stopped three penalties in the shoot-out. The Brazilian’s heroics allowed Shevchenko to fire in the winner and Maldini to lift the trophy 40 years after his dad, Cesare, had done the same thing for the same team.
Did you know?
Milan’s triumph meant Clarence Seedorf became the first – and still the only – player to win the Champions League with three different clubs (Ajax and Real Madrid being the other two).
This was the season Cristiano Ronaldo made his Champions League debut as a sub in a losing cause for Sporting Lisbon in qualifying against Inter. His namesake was still centre stage though, notably with a hat-trick against Manchester United at Old Trafford to send Real Madrid through to the last four. It was a performance so devastating that he was applauded off by all sides of the ground.
The adidas Predator Mania, worn by David Beckham and made so famous the season prior by that Zinédine Zidane goal in the final.
AC Milan v Juventus – never before (nor since) had the Champions League final been an all-Italian affair. And while it finished 0-0 after extra time at Old Trafford, don’t dismiss this game as boring – rather, it was tense and absorbing. Both goalkeepers had standout moments: Gianluigi Buffon made an incredible save from a Filippo Inzaghi header; Dida stopped three penalties in the shoot-out. The Brazilian’s heroics allowed Shevchenko to fire in the winner and Maldini to lift the trophy 40 years after his dad, Cesare, had done the same thing for the same team.
Did you know?
Milan’s triumph meant Clarence Seedorf became the first – and still the only – player to win the Champions League with three different clubs (Ajax and Real Madrid being the other two).
This was the season Cristiano Ronaldo made his Champions League debut as a sub in a losing cause for Sporting Lisbon in qualifying against Inter. His namesake was still centre stage though, notably with a hat-trick against Manchester United at Old Trafford to send Real Madrid through to the last four. It was a performance so devastating that he was applauded off by all sides of the ground.
The adidas Predator Mania, worn by David Beckham and made so famous the season prior by that Zinédine Zidane goal in the final.
This light-blue Kappa classic was Auxerre’s Champions League-specific away shirt and it’s a minimalist marvel. Old-timer Guy Roux was in charge of these snappy dressers – a world away from what Auxerre were wearing when he first took charge in 1961.
A Milanese match-up in the semi-finals ended with the Rossoneri progressing on ‘away’ goals at their home ground thanks to an Andriy Shevchenko strike shortly before half-time. The two ties were played within a week of each other and Paolo Maldini recalls “a wild mix of stress and emotions in town. I don’t remember another tour de force like it emotionally. At the final whistle we were obviously happy, but also empty after so many days of high tension.”
Ruud van Nistelrooy, Manchester United’s flying Dutchman, came out on top with 12 goals in nine games, the most since José Altafini scored 14 for AC Milan when they won in 1962/63.
Sport
Roger Federer won his first ever grand slam – at Wimbledon, of course. And, like Buffon, he’s still going 17 years later. Talking of longevity, 2003 was also the year that Michael Jordan retired at the age of 40 (for the third and final time).
Film
It’s hard to look beyond a sword-wielding Uma Thurman in her Bruce Lee-inspired yellow jumpsuit in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill: Volume 1. But a special mention also for Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, which won a record-equalling 11 Oscars.
Music
Our nod goes to Ms Dynamite’s infectious Dy-Na-Mi-Tee which is still “blowin’ up the stereo” all these years on. Great vid too, and the top tune on the FIFA 2003 soundtrack.
Books
Michael Lewis’s Moneyball hit shelves, with its story of Billy Beane and his overachieving Oakland A’s changing perceptions of how to build a winning team. Liverpool, among others, took note.
AC Milan v Juventus – never before (nor since) had the Champions League final been an all-Italian affair. And while it finished 0-0 after extra time at Old Trafford, don’t dismiss this game as boring – rather, it was tense and absorbing. Both goalkeepers had standout moments: Gianluigi Buffon made an incredible save from a Filippo Inzaghi header; Dida stopped three penalties in the shoot-out. The Brazilian’s heroics allowed Shevchenko to fire in the winner and Maldini to lift the trophy 40 years after his dad, Cesare, had done the same thing for the same team.
Did you know?
Milan’s triumph meant Clarence Seedorf became the first – and still the only – player to win the Champions League with three different clubs (Ajax and Real Madrid being the other two).
This was the season Cristiano Ronaldo made his Champions League debut as a sub in a losing cause for Sporting Lisbon in qualifying against Inter. His namesake was still centre stage though, notably with a hat-trick against Manchester United at Old Trafford to send Real Madrid through to the last four. It was a performance so devastating that he was applauded off by all sides of the ground.
The adidas Predator Mania, worn by David Beckham and made so famous the season prior by that Zinédine Zidane goal in the final.
