'The Exhibition of Champions' at Wembley

Only 21 different clubs may have been privileged enough to lift the incredibly prestigious trophy, with pride, honour, passion, and the overwhelming feeling of greatness, but the European Cup and it's 56 dramatic and outstandingly entertaining finals, have created some amazing memories which will never, and can never be forgotten.

England has a proud tradition of Champions League finals, and while Liverpool,  Manchester United, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa are the only English clubs to have won the competition, London's Wembley Stadium has hosted an impressive 6 finals, the most recent of which Manchester United were defeated by four-time winners, Barcelona.

Now, to remember countless incredible memories that football fans from all eras may have experienced of the competition, Wembley Stadium is hosting an "Exhibition of Champions" which celebrates the 56 years of glorious European Football history. A stunning total of over 700 artefacts will be on display at Wembley - items belonging to legends of the game -  players considered as the greatest of their generation, including:

· The match balls from the last five finals
· Denis Law’s jersey from 1968
· The original Intercontinental Cup – valued at approximately £225,000
· Johan Cruyff’s jersey from 1972
· David Villa’s signed shirt from 2011
· Celtic signed frame from their 1967 victory
· Di Stefano’s 1959 jersey
· Van Basten’s jersey from 1990
· McGovern’s shirt from 1979
· Eusebio‘s shirt from 1963
· Zidane’s boots from 2002

It will also feature prize exhibits including inspirational Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard’s 2005 captain’s armband, David Beckham’s jersey from Manchester United’s nail biting victory in 1999 and Graeme Souness’ three winners’ medals from ’78, ’81 and ’84.

It is indeed a stunning collection of items, littered with some of the great names never mind from just European football, but names known all around the world. The astonishing reach that the competition has is emphasised by the television viewing figures; 300 million people worldwide tuned in to watch Barcelona take on Manchester United at Wembley in May 2011 - a record breaking amount of enthused football fans witnessing history.

The Wembley Stadium Tour has welcomed millions of sports fans since it first opened in 1978 and now from Monday visitors will be able to enjoy the   ‘Exhibition of Champions’ as well as the England changing rooms, players tunnel, trophy winner’s steps, press conference rooms and Wembley’s famous Royal Box.

To book a place on the Wembley Tour and see the ‘Exhibition of Champions’ visit www.wembleystadium.com/tours or call 0844 800 2755.

Follow Me on Twitter @DBSFootball

Barcelona Want Arsenal Defensive Target

There has been some extraordinary football played last weekend, and now I have a bit of transfer news that can be considered just as sensational.

Arsenal, who scoured the globe for a suitable central defender during the summer, showed real interest in Bolton's 25 year-old defender, Gary Cahill. The asking price of £17 million was considered too high by Arsene Wenger, and Arsenal purchased Per Mertesacker instead in a last minute rush to find reinforcements across the squad.

Now, what seems to be Arsenal's loss may prove to be Barcelona's gain, as they are said to be raising their interest in the former Aston Villa, Burnley and Sheffield United lad, apparently preparing a £10 million move for Cahill.

Out of contract next summer, Cahill is likely to move on with considerable interest from the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea, but surely the European Champions will blow the English sides out of the water. The opportunity to play in such a fantastic team with countless world beaters in the squad is a stunning opportunity, not to mention a very, very rare one indeed.

The England international would provide cover in the Barcelona defence, and with Carles Puyol ageing at an impressive 33 as well as more prone to injuries, Cahill would be capable of stepping in and being that physical presence needed at the back, pairing up with the former Manchester United defender, Gerard Pique.

Cahill has said in the passed he wants to play European football, but surely even he couldn't have expected to be playing it at Camp Nou rather than the Emirates.

Follow Me on Twitter @DBSFootball

Extraordinary Game At Old Trafford

Manchester United's game against Chelsea was rather extraordinary. So extraordinary in fact, that Fernando Torres scored a goal. He may have evened the anomaly out later with a hilariously awful miss, but the very fact that he actually scored a goal on a football field is bizarre beyond belief. But enough of the blatant, casual abuse of poor old Fernando Torres who didn't actually have too bad a game at all, let's get down to the match.

It was a game billed as "magical" pre-match by Sky, and the first half certainly had a whiff of fantasy about it, with three goals scored by Manchester United, which on another day may never have happened. Smalling opened the scoring in the eighth minute with a powerful header thanks to a sublime cross from Ashley Young. Nani then got in on the act just as Chelsea were pressing the home side with a stunning display of individual skill and technique, while Rooney topped the half off with his ninth of the season.

Yet the first two could have easily been called for offside, and the third was incredibly lucky to fall conveniently into Wayne Rooney's path. At this point in the game, United had attempted around four shots on goal, scoring three. This compared to Chelsea's 10 or so, and you'd need to applaud United for the clinical edge they possessed against their biggest test of the season.

They may not have been at their best, but with a front three with the quality of Ashley Young, Wayne Rooney and Nani, all in magnificent form, it didn't matter. Chances were always going to be created with those three leading the line, and all three played a big part in at least one of the goals scored. It comes as no surprise that with those three, United have put a brilliant 21 goals past their opposition in only five games.

The central midfield pairing of Anderson and Fletcher is a very different two from that of Anderson and Cleveley, but United welcomed back their virus-struck Scot, who has always been a player for the big games. He put in a solid display as usual, while the Brazilian, who has had an impressive start to the season was able to get back on track after a shaky, sloppy start which saw him gift Chelsea the ball a number of times.

The second half could have been so different, and United fans were worried when Torres struck just 30 seconds into the half. Not too worried however, because despite Torres scoring a very rare goal to make some believe that the magic of the game could help Chelsea's cause, Manchester United simply do not lose a three goal lead at home.

Chelsea pressed, and certainly had golden opportunities to score at least a couple more, but a mixture of fierce defending, poor finishing and sheer luck prevented any more goals hitting the back of the net. Rooney missed a penalty, Hernandez was on the end of a shocking tackle in the penalty area which could rule him out for a few weeks, and as mentioned before, Torres missed a sitter.

A thoroughly entertaining game ended with Manchester United remaining at the peak of the Premier League table, clear by two points after Manchester City drew away at Fulham leaving United the only team in the top division with a 100% record.

Follow Me on Twitter @DBSFootball