Old Trafford, the iconic home of Manchester United, was once described by Sir Bobby Charlton as “the theatre of dreams,” and as the world famous stadium nears its 100rh anniversary, the words of the former United and England star have never seemed so apt.
Opened in 1910 after United decided that their old Bank Street Stadium was unsuitable, Old Trafford has undergone many changes. But in its 97-year history, Charlton’s theatre of dreams has come to symbolise football’s standing as a global game.
Most of the world’s great players
- Eusebio, Maradona, Platini, Ronaldinho, Cruyff and the like – have plied their trade on Old Trafford’s hallowed turf, as have the cream of United’s own crop from Best, Charlton and Law to Cantona, Beckham, Van Nistelrooy and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Old Trafford was a venue for group matches during the 1966 World Cup and 1996 EURO and it has regularly hosted FA Cup finals and semi-finals. In 2003, the UEFA Champions League final between AC Milan and Juventus was staged there.

THE STADIUM
Name: Old Trafford
Address: Sir Matt Busby Way, Old Trafford
Great Manchester, England
Inauguration: 19 February 1910
Last renovation: 2006
No. of seats: 76 212
Covered: 100%
Home team: Manchester United
Website: www.manutd.com

Rasunda was also the venue of a continental club final in 1998, when Chelsea beat Stuttgart 1-0 to lift the Cup Winners’ Cup, and is also considered an important part of the history of AIK by the club’s fans. When it was built in 1937, AIK, a multi-sport club founded in 1891 which introduced football in 1896, decided to leave its previous home, the Stockholm stadium, and move to Solna. All in all, AIK have won the Swedish title ten times.
Nevertheless, the legendary stadium’s days are numbered, as the construction of a new stadium in Solna is due to begin at the end of 2008 and when it is completed in 2012, the scene of Pele’s rise to fame will be demolished. The new 50,000-capacity stadium will be the home of the Swedish national team and will cost around USD 250 million to build. The stadium will be named the Swedbank Arena under the terms of a sponsorship contract with a Swedish bank that will run until 2023.
This new arena with a retractable roof will have five owners, including the municipality of Solna and the Swedish football association. Besides football, the stadium will also be used for ice hockey, another popular sport in Sweden, and other activities.
The commencement of the building work on this new stadium will coincide with the 50th anniversary of the 1958 FIFA World Cup’”, a year with which Pele and Rasunda are inseparably linked.