Manchester United in Europe : Tragedy, Destiny, History ([Rev. and updated] ed)

Manchester United's quest to win the European Cup was forged amidst the charred remains of an Elizabethan airliner that crashed on take-off at Munich's Riem Airport on 6 February 1958.

Twenty-three people died in the tragedy, including eight of the famous Busby Babes.

From that moment, manager Matt Busby's goal of winning the European Cup became an obsession that permeated the whole club.

The prize of becoming the first English team to win the European Cup was United's Holy Grail.

Ten years after the Munich disaster, Busby achieved his dream when United - inspired by Bobby Charlton and George Best - beat Benfica 4-1 in extra time to lift the European Cup at Wembley.

Some felt the ghosts of Munich were there to witness the club's joy on that summer's evening in London.

It seemed to be United's destiny finally to honour those who had lost their lives in pursuit of the gleaming silver trophy.But that triumph was to hang over the club for the next 31 years as they failed to reach those heights again.

Then came the last final of the 20th century, in the towering splendour of Barcelona's Nou Camp, ironically against Bayern Munich on what would have been Busby's 90th birthday.

United snatched a 2-1 victory from the jaws of defeat, won the Treble and made history."Manchester United in Europe" recounts the course of those three European campaigns.

Using first-hand accounts of the dramatic events, the book describes the sadness and the joy that have run through United's pursuit of European glory.

The book draws on the experiences of the pilots of the airliner that crashed with the players and United staff on board, as well as those who had to pick up the pieces after the accident.

Finally, the book captures the build-up and the drama of the events that saw United win the Champions League in what has been called the greatest two minutes in the history of sport.