As Manchester United’s first competitive goalscorer against Bayern Munich in the club’s history, Dwight Yorke is looking forward to welcoming the German club back to Old Trafford on 14 June.
Yorke, who made the switch from Aston Villa to United during the summer of 1998, was surprised to hear that his Champions League strike was United’s first-ever goal against Bayern. "I'll take that," he joked. The then 27-year-old beat goalkeeper Oliver Kahn in the Reds’ second game of the group stage in a campaign where the Reds progressed all the way to the final, meeting Bayern again in Barcelona and, of course, winning 2-1.
The former striker told ManUtd.com of his participation in the upcoming Legends event: "It’s the only game that can get me to put my football boots on again – it’s one for a good cause in the Foundation, raising a lot of money, so it’s a great opportunity to play at this wonderful stadium and roll back the years.
"I’m sure I’m equally as excited as all the other players are and it will be a great occasion. We went to Munich about a year ago and it’s our turn to entertain them and I expect another close contest on the day. It’ll be very competitive again. We are excited and looking forward to it."
The first leg at the Allianz Arena last August finished 3-3 with Andy Cole scoring a brace and Paul Scholes adding another. Paulo Sergio, Giovane Elber and Alexander Zickler scored for the hosts.
"We’re not trying to make a comeback here but I can assure you, when they get here, the competitive element kicks in," Yorke added. "It’s just the nature of how we are and, as I said, we want to win the game but also, at the end of the day, it’s a game of football that is for a good cause and that is what we are all doing it for.
"We know what a fantastic team they are - the history of Munich, the history behind Manchester United Football Club – it’s just huge and it’ll draw a great deal of attraction to it. We’re all retired but we all have that one magical moment that we want to relive and I’m sure it won't be any different when we turn up on the day."
All proceeds from the event will go to the Manchester United Foundation for its work with young people across Greater Manchester and there will be more on show than just football as Union J will also be performing.
"I think that’s the sort of thing the Foundation are trying to draw on here," said the former Trinidad & Tobago international. "It’s not just the football match, it’s the whole occasion, coming to the stadium, having the ambiance, seeing the band perform and getting interactive with everyone. It’s a real fun day and hopefully we get a beautiful afternoon here in Manchester so the people can come out even more but it's a real good, fun, family event to come to.
"The fans and the families all come out to support the cause and we want to put on a good show as we know it’s for a charity and the Foundation. At the same time, there’s people paying to come in and they expect a good game in return and that’s what we will try to give them."