[Solskjaer's Testimonial] United vs Espanyol [02-08-2008]

Four years ago today, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was honoured by Manchester United with a testimonial. Scorer of a winning goal in a European Cup Final; scorer of countless important goals, and as dedicated a servant to the club as you could ever hope, Solskjaer was rewarded with a game against Espanyol in his honour.
It barely matters if this reference sounds contrived; Solskjaer was not only a player who lived up to football cliches, he wrote and re-wrote them. When it was said that United got out of jail, he would be the one who made sure they did. When it was said that United won games in injury time, it was he who made sure they won the biggest trophy possible in injury time.
His lethal touch claimed many victims as he clinically steamrolled his way into United’s history, yet after the arrival of Ruud van Nistelrooy, he re-defined himself as an effective right winger so trusted by Sir Alex Ferguson that the manager was willing to sell David Beckham.
Sadly, injury struck and Solskjaer struggled and struggled for three years, with returns sporadic and short lived. On the eve of the 2006/7 season it seemed he had finally overcome his problems; what may have seemed like a fairly inconsequential goal – the third (typically as a substitute) at Charlton in a 3-0 win – turned out to be one of the most emotional goals scored by a United player in modern memory.
Not that Ole’s return was afforded to him in sympathy; he showed that his ability to score had not diminished whatsoever, and with 11 goals in 32 games that season his contribution was vital as United reclaimed the Premier League title for the first time in four years. Yet after suffering further problems on international duty in the post season, Solskjaer underwent another operation on his knee and ultimately felt the time was right to retire from playing.
It felt like a premature end to a fantastic career that could have been even better; and Solskjaer was granted a testimonial a year later against Espanyol. Better still, he came on to a rapturous applause – as is often the case in these events, there was an effort to get Ole to hit the net. Here is the full match – including the post match thoughts of both Ole and Sir Alex – of the testimonial exactly four years ago today.