Leading article: Quest for glory

In football, context is everything. The two English clubs, Chelsea and Manchester United, have played each other countless times. Their most recent meeting was only 25 days ago. But tonight's game in the unlikely setting of Moscow's Luzhniki stadium is the one that matters above all others. The prize is the reason: the Champions League.

English teams have prevailed in Europe's top club competition before. But never have there been two English teams in the final before. Put simply, tonight's match is the biggest game in English club football's 120-year history. For all its faults, the fact that two Premier League clubs have made it this far is testament to the strength of England's top domestic league.

There are so many compelling stories waiting to be written over the 90 minutes of this game. Manchester United's veteran, but still sparkling, midfielder, Paul Scholes, has a chance to bury the pain of being suspended when his team last appeared in the final in 1999. The young Portuguese sensation, Cristiano Ronaldo, has an opportunity to prove, beyond doubt, that he is the best player in the world.

There is just as much potential for drama on the Chelsea side. The imperious German midfielder, Michael Ballack, is desperate to atone for losing in the final of the 2002 competition with his former club Bayer Leverkusen. And the fate of Chelsea's unfairly vilified manager, Avram Grant, appears to hang on the outcome of the match.

Yet what will unite all the players and managers (from wherever in the world they hail) tonight is the quest for glory in the biggest game that many of them will ever participate in. What's not to look forward to?

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