Manchester United fans have always prided themselves on their influence over their team.
Old Trafford may not be the fortress it once was, but during the height of Alex Ferguson’s reign United supporters made any match against the Red Devils an intimidating prospect for even the hardiest opponents.
But one fan seemed to take the whole “12th man” thing a bit too literally on April 18, 2001.
As United lined up ahead of their Champions League quarter-final defeat to Bayern Munich in Germany, a fan decked in full United away kit, named Karl Power, somehow made his way into the team photo.
There’s a lot to take in from that short clip.
Straight away, Gary Neville hints at a future in analysis as he immediately notices that something is awry. Before Power even enters the frame, the former former Sky Sports pundit (that’s right, he’s back) directs our attention to the prankster’s entrance.
Fabien Barthez reacts with the same indifferent confusion that carried him through much of his time in Manchester, but it’s when you look at the far right of the frame when you realise just how expertly-planned the whole operation was.
In order to make his way onto the photo, Power and his mates pretended to be with a TV crew before slipping through a gap between stewards in order to gain access to the pitch. When the teams game out, he simply slipped in an posed for the photo.
But the incredible planning is clear when you realise where Power stood – on the opposite side of then-United captain Roy Keane. The Irishman was in the middle of the shaven-head era of his career, and therefore the most dangerous. And while the video is blurry, we’re pretty sure Keane is trying to stare Power to death.
All in all, it adds up to probably the most memorable team photo in Champions League history. Fair play to you, Karl Power.
