The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 279: Solemn Farewell

"Goodbye, Busby! We will always remember your teachings and carry forward your spirit. We will continue to move forward along the path you have opened up and pay tribute to you with wonderful football and honor!"

——Manchester United

A week later, Busby's funeral was held.

This was the final farewell of the Red Devils to the "Red Devils Godfather". At the memorial service, the eulogy of English media mogul McEvanney was unique and memorable.

His eulogy began with a story about Liam Whelan (one of the victims of the Munich air crash) and Sir Matt Busby. Whelan once again plucked up the courage to step into Sir Matt Busby's office and applied to leave the team. Sir Matt Busby replied with a strange expression: "No one can teach me who to sign or sell. We have the final say in this team. If I keep you here, it means you are still my type. You have to continue playing here, don't tell me about this kind of thing again."

"It's not up to you to do what you want, I have the final say here!" McEvanney said, "This is Busby's style, confident, firm, and decisive, dominating everything for the Red Devils."

"Today we are honoring a leader and a coach of the kind that is rare in this world," McEvanney said.

The representative of the English Football Association said in his speech: "Sir's experience represents a true legend of courage and perseverance, striving and strength. The Munich air crash did not destroy his life, let alone his soul. The pain is eternal and the disaster is ruthless, but Sir Busby and other survivors carried the sorrow on their shoulders and embarked on a path that ordinary people could not persist on."

Charlton is one of the saddest people in the Red Devils club. He recalled the most unforgettable scene at the farewell ceremony, "I will never forget that Champions League final. When the 90 minutes were over and the extra time was about to start, Boss (Busby) rushed into the stadium and said to us, 'You are the best, go and prove it, today belongs to you!' I remember his eyes flashing like the sun. We seemed to have replaced the battery cells of used batteries, and we were full of energy in an instant, incredible energy. In the end, we defeated our opponents, won the Champions League, and helped the boss fulfill his previous promise."

Busby's family and friends, representatives from UEFA, the English Football Association, all the staff of the Manchester United club, representatives from other clubs, fans of the Manchester United club and tens of thousands of people came to see him off. Thousands of fans stood on the streets of Manchester, wearing Manchester United jerseys from different periods or wearing the iconic accessories of the Manchester United club. They looked solemn and sad, and greeted Busby's hearse with deep affection as it slowly drove up, and then silently watched the hearse leave. Many old fans couldn't help but shed tears.

The hearse drove into the Old Trafford Stadium that Busby had always guarded, circled the field and then left... At the last moment, in accordance with Busby's will, his body was buried in the South Manchester Cemetery. Eulogies commemorating Busby's death poured in from all over the world, and countless sincere words brought tears to people's eyes. It was not only those football celebrities who sent condolences, but more from ordinary Manchester United fans and even fans of many other clubs. They sent thousands of T-shirts, wreaths, photos, cards and scarves, mourning the great coach in the history of world football in their own unique ways.

This love and remembrance has continued to this day. In 1996, the club erected a bronze statue for Busby in front of the East Stand of Old Trafford to show the highest level of commemoration and respect. In the statue, Busby is wearing a suit, with a calm face, holding a football in his hand, standing sideways with his legs spread out, his upper body straight, and his deep eyes staring forward, as if he is in deep thought, thinking about how to deploy the next game, or thinking hard about how the Red Devils can move forward.

The memorial bronze statue creates a quiet and solemn atmosphere, which well reflects Busby's characteristics and has become one of the most famous symbols of the Red Devils. To this day, fans from all over the world come to his statue and can still find postcards and cards sent by many people, and some people also give flowers. What's more special is that sometimes some Red Devils fans from China, after paying homage to Busby's statue, will pay tribute in the traditional Chinese way - lighting a few cigarettes in front of his statue and bowing to it.

Busby is respected by fans all over the world. His name is not only known in the hearts of Manchester United fans, but also in the T-shirts, wreaths, photos and scarves from fans of other clubs. We can feel the love of fans all over the world for him, even after his death. This love has become more mellow through the baptism and accumulation of time.

Everything Busby did for the Red Devils connected the Red Devils' past, present and future. Busby created a successful youth training, won the FA Cup, the league and the Champions League, established the great Red Devils dynasty, and truly made the Red Devils a legendary club. Not only that, he used all his wisdom and hard work to help the Red Devils, and protected the Red Devils with his life until the last moment of his life.

Busby is an outstanding symbol of the Red Devils spirit and the founder of the Red Devils tradition.

Two days after Busby's death, the Red Devils faced Everton at home in the league. Sad-looking fans filled Old Trafford and the square outside the stadium before the game even started. Fans placed photos of Busby, flowers, jerseys and scarves in the square to express their condolences. Fans poured into the stadium to participate in the tribute ceremony, and more fans spontaneously mourned outside the stadium. Some fans also spontaneously placed the photos and items of Busby they collected in the square, as if holding a small exhibition.

A commemorative carpet was laid at the entrance of the stadium, and the Red Devils invited Everton and visiting fans to hold a grand commemorative ceremony together.

Best, who scored twice in the 1968 European Cup final to help Busby's team win the championship, came specially to lead the team into the stadium as a bagpiper. The players of both teams wore black veils on their hands and entered the field with solemn expressions. The TV broadcast screen in the stadium kept playing images of Busby during his lifetime.

There was a passage in Busby's speech that made all the Manchester United fans cry again. It was the speech when Busby resigned from the position of head coach and truly retired from the position of Manchester United head coach. "I am finally going to retire. I think the time is about right. For a person who wears a jersey and drives the players to the training field, now is an appropriate time to say goodbye. Manchester United is more than just a team to me. I am full of reluctance in my heart, which makes me sad. How can I leave this place, how can I leave the team? This is the team I rebuilt from the ashes of the Munich air crash. This is the team I love deeply. This is the team I am willing to dedicate my life to."

Before the game started, the Red Devils arranged a unique tribute ceremony. A Scottish bagpiper entered the stadium wearing a traditional Scottish plaid skirt and played a sad and desolate bagpipe. He led a huge portrait of Busby. Behind the portrait were the older generation of Red Devils such as Charlton and the players who had fought under Busby. People in the stadium stood up to salute according to tradition, and the whole stadium was very quiet. When the TV camera panned over the empty seat where Busby had sat, when the TV camera once again fixed on Busby's photo, the noisy outside the stadium suddenly became completely quiet.

The farewell ceremony for Busby ended with a minute of silence for the entire stadium. Even the most fanatical fans were so quiet that during these 60 seconds, only the gentle breeze of January could be heard, and people could only feel the sadness silently spreading.

"I've been through a few moments of silence," Mark Hughes said, "but never one as quiet as this one." The visiting Everton players also observed a moment of silence. Many of them were deeply saddened, with many putting their hands on their chests in deep mourning - the most respectful salute.

Then the stadium announcer Keith Finn read out a message from the Busby family, and the whole stadium was silent. "Matt always had a smile on his face, even in the past few years when he was in the hospital. For the past and present champions, please enjoy the game to your heart's content today, and please cheer the roof off. This is Matt's wish, may you find happiness in football!"

The stadium was silent for a while, and then there was a thunderous roar. Many old fans shed tears, and more fans clapped their hands desperately and shouted loudly, "Busby, forever Busby!" The stadium was filled with a sad atmosphere, but it was soon driven away by huge shouts and increasingly majestic songs. The intense emotions made everyone's blood boil, and the players standing solemnly on the field could not control themselves for a long time.

The Toffees fans who came with Everton also joined in the tribute. The Everton fans received thunderous applause from the home fans, which was a thank you to the guests for their flawless performance.

The game started. In the first few minutes, perhaps influenced by the ceremony, the Red Devils players were a little absent-minded and seemed quite passive in the face of Everton's attack. If Schmeichel hadn't saved shots from Neil Moore and Brett Angell, the Red Devils might have fallen behind. However, the Red Devils players quickly turned the situation around with the cheers of the fans. They ran hard, kept the ball moving at a high speed, and constantly exerted pressure on both offense and defense. The ball moved the way Sir Busby liked, and the game entered the Red Devils' moment.

Giggs opened the scoring for the Red Devils, and the final score remained at 1:0, and the Red Devils won this unforgettable victory. The score did not fully reflect the excitement of the game. At least the Red Devils created many scoring opportunities in their stormy offensive. It was a pity that Cantona and Mark Hughes were too generous, and the goalpost became Everton's good friend. Of course, compared with Schmeichel's later idleness, Everton goalkeeper Neville Southall's wonderful saves stole all the broadcast shots. The most exciting and regrettable performance came from Cantona. He missed countless scoring opportunities throughout the game and worked hard to the end, and almost scored a beautiful goal in injury time. He jumped high sideways and stopped a not-so-ideal pass with his chest. After stopping the ball, he immediately made adjustments and shot sideways without hesitation, but the ball still hit the post and bounced out. Before this shot, Cantona's performance in this game was disastrous. After the ceremony to commemorate Busby, Cantona seemed to have lost his soul. He tried very hard throughout the game, but he was just a hair's breadth away from scoring. The 6-yard shot in front of the goal was headed into the dead corner and was saved by the opponent's goalkeeper. The 7-yard shot in front of the goal had already defeated the goalkeeper, but was saved by the opponent's defender from the goal line! He even hit the crossbar and the goalpost!

The final whistle blew and the Red Devils won.

A solemn victory, a victory that restored the reputation of the Red Devils, and a victory dedicated to Busby.

What is more important than victory is inheritance. The content of the game is exactly what Sir Matt Busby wanted, and now the Red Devils are walking on the path that Busby hoped.