The End of an Era

One last dance

With the end of the 2008-09 season rapidly approaching, it’s your last chance to see some of the legends of our game. If you have yet to witness their magic in person be sure to book your flights tonight.

Pavel Nedved

Czech sensation

A former Ballon d’Or winner, Nedved was drafted into the Juventus team in 2001 as a replacement for Zinedine Zidane. With a passion and swagger that mirrored aspects of the great Frenchman’s game, Nedved shed the memories of Zidane by leading Juventus to two Serie A titles. Loved from Sparta to Rome, Nedved will feature in 4 more Juve matches before calling it a day.

Ryan Giggs

Only 5 United fixtures remain before the Welsh wizard and Old Trafford icon hangs up his boots. British football’s most decorated player, over a 19-year career Giggs repeatedly terrorized defenders with his pace and trickery. A leader of men, Giggs scored the winning penalty in last season’s Champions League Final against Chelsea and went on to become Manchester United’s all-time appearance record holder. If you haven’t seen him play then you better start looking for tickets to Rome.

Paolo Maldini

What can you say about a man who has done it all…several times over. During a 24-year career at AC Milan, Maldini won Serie A seven times, the Champions League five times and the Supercoppa Italiana five times. Leading from the left-back role, Maldini never failed to impress with his power, precision and professionalism. He has appeared for the Italian national team 126 times and even captained the side for eight years. Maldini will receive a teary-eyed ovation from the Milan faithful on his final appearance at the San Siro on May 23rd.

Claude Makelele

Creator of the 'Makelele' role

Who says size matters? At 5ft 7 inches (1.7m) Makelele, more often than not, stood smallest on the pitch. But what he lacked in height and physical stature he more than made up for in passion and intelligence. The former Real Madrid and Chelsea midfielder transformed tackling and ball-winning into an art form. He mastered his profession to such an extent that there’s even a position named after him – the ‘Makelele’ role. With only 4 matches left to play in the little man’s career, you better get yourself over to Paris toute de suite for one final au revoir.