Old boys united

Then he only needs add that the two most romantic plotlines of the night feature two United legends. Ryan Giggs being crowned European champion on the night he breaks Sir Bobby Charlton's club appearance record; Paul Scholes winning the medal so cruelly denied him in 1999 when he missed the final through suspension. Such perfect fairytales that even Chelsea's most optimistic fans could be forgiven for thinking destiny is conspiring against them.

Less than a month ago, you could have still found plenty of United fans wondering whether the increasingly patchy form of their two old maestros this season meant they'd passed their sell-by. Then all the heretical chatter stopped in just a fortnight when, first, Scholes let f ly with the blistering 25-yarder against Barcelona to steer United to their third European Cup Final and then Giggs came off the bench at Wigan to score the decisive second which sealed his and Fergie's 10th Premier League title.

Who writes the scripts for these ageless wonders? Even Ferguson was so bowled over by Scholes's wondrous effort against Barcelona that he immediately pronounced his ginger prince would be the first name on his teamsheet for the final.

Was this a case of heady sentiment for once getting the better of Fergie? Maybe, but more likely it was an admission that sometimes you just cannot fight fate, especially when it's backed up by an archive of incredible statistics and a video library of big-match performances which simply demand that two of the most exceptional British players of their generation are accorded one final crack at the biggest club prize of all.

Think of it; in this age of fly-by-night footballing mercenaries, this pair of one-team loyalists have between them offered 30 years' distinguished --service to the same club, made 1329 appearances (Giggs 758, Scholes 571), scored 286 goals (Giggs 147, Scholes 139) and landed 33 major winners' medals (Giggs 19, Scholes 14).

Is there an argument to say neither should have been guaranteed their final place? Perhaps. Scholes, at 33, doesn't score goals in the profusion of old and even on the night of his Barcelona wonder strike, there were long periods where Barca's midfield movement seemed to sweep him by and make him look leaden.

Some will consider the Brazilian, Anderson, to be unlucky to miss out on a starting place even if Giggs sounded a little affronted when someone asked him if Ferguson might be picking Scholes for sentimental reasons. "No, Scholesy deserves to play because he's a great player," he declared.

As for Giggs himself, selection is more debatable. At 34, his old startling pace has gone along with that mesmeric high-speed dribbling which once resulted in the greatest goal any United player ever scored - the 1999 FA Cup semi-final replay classic against Arsenal.

As he's become more error-prone and inconsistent, Ferguson has trusted more in Ji-Sung Park, whose study in perpetual motion is likely to consign Giggs to the bench.

Yet, just like Scholes, it feels almost unimaginable that the Welshman won't play an important part in Moscow. For the pair bring more than unmatched experience. Just as John Terry and Frank Lampard symbolise Chelsea's spirit, Scholes and Giggs are now United's heartbeat, the final links to that thrusting era when Fergie was told he'd win nothing with kids and then proceeded to prove why Alan Hansen was wise to stick to punditry rather than management.

Not only do they still help drive the thrilling young talent surrounding them with their own insatiable appetite for success but their stature makes everyone else want to win for the lads who came stamped with 'Made in United' long before Fergie ever thought of shopping for Brazilians and Argentines.

The love for Scholesy is undying. The old-fashioned idea of the family man who wants to get on with the job he loves without all the attendant celebrity nonsense before just clearing off home is appealing to supporters disillusioned by stories like that of the United players' excesses at their tacky Christmas party. Why else would the favourite T-shirt being hawked outside Old Trafford bears a picture of Scholes and the slogan: Turn Up, Play, F*** Off ?

Yet United's allure has always involved seduction by the exotic rather than the homespun, which is where Giggs comes in. After George Best and before David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo, it seems so long ago now that we can barely recall what excitement he engendered as football's young poster boy superstar in the early 90s.

Famously, a raging Ferguson turned up one evening at a do Giggs was attending at Lee Sharpe's house, kicked everyone else out and gave the pair a lecture about wasting their marvellous young talent. One supposes if Giggs had taken heed of the message like Sharpe did, he'd now too be doing something as worthwhile as Celebrity Love Island.

Instead, the playboy who grew into the quiet model pro is again going to be gracing the biggest game in club football and this time his equally shy and modest mate will be at his side. Never mind Ronaldo and Rooney; it's Giggs and Scholes whose names best conjure up the speed and grace, the pace and the art and the glamour and the guts of Manchester United.