Soccer Tsar Andrei Kanchelskis
Manchester United right winger, Andrei Kanchelskis, played for the Soviet Union of Socialist Republics (USSR), known as the Soviet Union before the Russian Federation was brought into being by President Mikhail Gorbachev on December 25, 1991. Before the USSR became the Russian Federation a Russian Soviet team that had qualified for the 1992 European soccer championships played under the flag of the Commonwealth of Independent States, which consisted of those nations of Eastern Europe that would be a part of the new Russian Federation, while others would remain independent (CIS) and some would join the European Union that had come into being in 1958 as a group of nations in Western Europe aiming to help each other economically.
The European Economic Community (EEC) became the European Union (EU) in 1993 after its political aims expanded until it was a part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) with a defence system shared with the United States and others. The Commonwealth of Independent States` soccer team was important for Eastern Europe because it represented the goal of a European Commonwealth inclusive of Russia, who had players in the squad, and not a federation of states described as Russian because controlled by Russia in what was a new Soviet system of centralized government from the Russian capital, Moscow.
Andrei Kanchelskis had begun his soccer career with Ukraine`s Dynamo Kiev (1998-90) before leaving for another Ukrainian club, Shaktar Donetsk, where he was a member of the team that won the Russian cup in 1990. Of Lithuanian origin, Kanchelskis was born in the Ukraine but chose to play for Russia 59 times scoring 7 goals. Alex Ferguson signed Andrei in 1991 for Manchester United and in 1992 he was a member of the multinational squad that took part as the Commonwealth of International States (CIS) in the European Championships in which the side finished 8th overall.
The results of the Commonwealth of Independent States` (CIS) team were afterwards transferred to the Russian Federation national side and Andrei Kanchelskis participated in the 1996 European Championships as a member of the Russian Federation team. Andrei played in all three CIS games against Germany, 1-1, Holland, 0-0 and Scotland, 0-3, in which Manchester United`s centre forward, Brian McClair, in his 26th international appearance, scored his first for Scotland and the team`s second in the 16th minute after his shot was deflected past CIS `keeper, Dmitri Kharine, by left full back, Kakhaber Tskhadadze. In Euro` `96 Russia finished bottom of their group and Kanchelskis played in defeats against Italy, 1-2, and Germany, 0-3, but was omitted for the final drawn game against the Czech Republic, 3-3.
Andrei Kanchelskis was the first choice right winger at Old Trafford until future England captain, David Beckham, made his debut in a 1994-95 season in which United failed to win a trophy despite appearing in the FA Cup Final against Everton, 0-1. The following 1995-96 season Andrei was transferred to Everton and David, who`d made just four first team appearances the previous season, began to emerge as the dominant right sided midfield star of his generation with 33 appearances and 7 goals. During his years at the Theatre Of Dreams, the Russian winger collected medals in the European Super Cup (1991), the English League Cup (1992), the English championship (1993 and 1994) and the FA Cup (1994), which included the elusive league and cup double (1994) that had only previously been achieved in the modern era by Tottenham Hotspur (1960-61), Arsenal (1970-71) and Liverpool (1985-86).
Manchester United was becoming a political force as they prepared one of their players to play for a team that included Russia as a member of an international organization of nations, that is, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), rather than as a central governor of unfree states, which is what the Soviet Union had been and the Russian Federation would be after the dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Because Andrei had played for an Eastern European union the possibility of a European Union with Russia as a member was mooted.
Although politics isn`t generally felt to be a part of soccer`s remit, Manchester United`s triumph in the European Cup of 1999 was followed by the club`s acceptance of the invitation to play against Palmeiras of Brazil in the Final of the Intercontinental Cup which the English based team won, 1-0, thanks to a goal from Irish midfield supremo, Roy Keane, who arrived at the far post to drive in a pinpoint left wing cross from Welsh wing wizard, Ryan Giggs, in the 35th minute. United were making friends in South America and the next time they played for the World Club Championship against Ecuador`s LDU Quito in the Final they`d three South American players in the starting line-up, Brazilian right back Rafael, midfield creator Anderson of Brazil, and centre forward Carlos Tevez of Argentina, both of whom had helped the side at Moscow`s Luzhniki stadium beat Chelsea on penalties in the European Cup Final of 2008 to qualify for the World Club Championship Finals in Japan.
Star right winger, Portugal`s Cristiano Ronaldo, missed in the penalty shoot out against Chelsea after scoring with a header to give United the lead. Chelsea midfielder, Frank Lampard, had tapped in from close range just before half time after a long range shot by Michael Essien was deflected; first off central defender, Nemanja Vidic, and then off his defensive partner Rio Ferdinand. `Keeper Edwin Van Der Sar lost his footing trying to recover and Lampard pounced. The game finished 1-1 and Brazil`s Anderson took the first penalty for United in the shoot out and scored. Anderson had come on as a substitute for defender Wes Brown at right full back. Wes had put in the cross from out wide for Ronaldo to score the United goal in normal time with a header. After added extra time Argentina`s Carlos Tevez scored from his spot kick in the penalty shoot out to decide the winners, but Ronaldo missed and Chelsea centre forward, Nicholas Anelka too. Ryan Giggs got the winner after Chelsea captain, centre back John Terry, fell on his arse in the rain and hit the post.
Manchester United had appeared in the Intercontinental Cup Final on one other occasion after wining the European Cup in 1968. Played over two legs home and away, United faced Estudiantes of Argentina and lost, 1-2, on aggregate. Juan Ramon Veron, the `little witch`, Estudiantes` right winger, had crossed for forward Marcos Conigliaro to give the Argentinians a 28th minute lead to take to Old Trafford. Veron himself scored from a header in the 7th minute at the Theatre Of Dreams and a late goal from the boot of right winger, Willie Morgan, in the 90th minute wasn`t enough to win the trophy for United. But the club had won friends in South America. Unlike Liverpool who refused to play against the Argentine side, Boca Juniors, in consecutive seasons after winning the European Cup in 1977 and 1978.
Although Liverpool agreed to play Brazilian team Flamengo in 1981 and lost, 0-3, the single game took place in Japan, and the Falklands war with Argentina broke out in 1982 over dictator General Galtieri`s invasion of the small group of islands under British government close to the Argentine mainland on the South American continent. Liverpool`s refusal to participate in a two leg encounter with Boca Juniors at Anfield and La Boca in Buenos Aires was because of prejudice against players from a nation Alf Ramsay described as `animals` when he was the manager of England`s World Cup winners in 1966. A Geoff Hurst hat trick against Germany won the World Cup for England, and just as the wave of feeling for Manchester United went some way to healing the rift between the English and the Germans after World War Two (1939-45) when the team`s plane crashed at Munich`s airport on February 6, 1958, and several players lost their lives as they prepared for the upcoming World Cup in Sweden, so Liverpool`s taking the hand of friendship with Boca Juniors could have lessened feelings of hostility between the people of the United Kingdom and Argentina. Germany`s World Cup loss of 1966 wasn`t felt so bitterly, because of the bridges Manchester United had built with the German people after Munich. Borussia Monchengladbach grasped the hand of the Argentinians in 1977, although the German side lost, 2-5, on aggregate, while Boca Juniors would again have been Liverpool`s opponents in the 1978 Intercontinental Cup Final, but the Anfield team wouldn`t travel to South America and the competition was cancelled; even though the 1978 World Cup Finals were to be played in Argentina and the English players needed the experience.
Manchester United won the European Cup Final of 2008 against London`s Chelsea, at Moscow`s Luzhniki stadium in Russia, while their Russian winger, Andrei Kanchelskis, was prepared to play for a United Europe team in the 1992 European nations` championship, because a European Union inclusive of Russia is desirable. Friendship with South America is the prize for teams who win in Europe and Manchester United are sporting ambassadors for the world, because they choose not to hide from the responsibility which goes with global renown. To compete for the World Club Cup with European sides, the South American teams have to win the Copa Libertadores, which is the cup of freedom, that is, the cup of the liberators of South America, whereas Liverpool was the centre of the slave trade with the United States of America that, at its peak in 1799, transported by ship 45,000 slaves per annum to the Southern States of the Union. Refusing to compete for freedom`s cup suggests a preference for slavery rather than a United Europe or a United America.
Manchester United`s England captain, David Beckham, won Major League Soccer`s (MLS) champions` cup with Los Angeles Galaxy of the United States` Western Conference (2011, 2012), so the L.A. Galaxy could compete for the World Club Cup of a United America and Europe. Liverpool`s failure to try to win for freedom against Boca Juniors of South America and make representations on behalf of Europe for peace before the Falklands war seems to have been what Liverpool`s winning of the old English divisions were for. To make war for Europe and divide America to maintain slavery. Liverpool were kicked out of the European Cup competition for their fans` killing Italian supporters of Juventus at the 1985 Final. With a reduced number of teams competing and three points for a win rather than two, Manchester United won the new English Premier league title of 1992-93 with Andrei Kanchelskis on the right wing; whatever his politics. Lithuania became a member of the European Union in 2004 while the Ukraine had become an independent nation in 1991. Lithuanian soccer star, Andrei Kanchelskis, born in Ukraine, chose to play on the right wing for Russia. He wasn`t hiding from Liverpool in South America; even though he had played for Everton.