County Derry man in 'dreamland' as he rescues Manchester United Legends

As the ball nestled in the net from a shot that rifled past the Letterkenny Rovers keeper, a childhood dream had been achieved for one County Derry man.

Standing on the sideline, waiting to shake the hand of former Republic of Ireland captain Frank Stapleton as a second-half substitute, the crowd was in raptures of applause as the third most prolific Irish striker retired from football, Chris Bradley, was in ‘dreamland’.

As the Magherafelt man stepped across the sideline, he had officially made his debut for Manchester United Legends at the age of 42. 

This would have been enough for a vast majority of Irish football fans, but Bradley would end up being a key figure for United Legends as they salvaged a draw against Rovers, as the debutant provided two fine goals any striker would be proud of with his second on the stroke of the final whistle; the score was 6-6.

Bradley said: “I’m actually a centre half. The guy running it asked me where I played, and I responded anywhere, and he threw me up front.

“I watched the two goals back, and it was surreal; I couldn’t believe that it happened.

“The second one was the icing on top; I just ghosted into the box. 

“I thought, ‘If the ball comes to me, I am going to shoot’. But I didn’t want to over-egg it when I did score, as there was a bit of a crowd there. Again, Karel Poborsky high-fived me as he passed the ball.

Sir Alex Ferguson was appointed Manchester United manager 36 years ago, bringing glory to the red side of Manchester for decades, particularly in the 1990s, a period Bradley remembers fondly. 

The 42-year-old idolised the United team from this period as they secured five Premier League titles, four FA Cups, and one Champions League on a famous night in the Nou Camp within this decade. 

“Looking around, I had Frank Stapleon beside me, and I kept looking over my shoulder every two seconds, and then there was Jaap Stam standing in front of me,” said Bradley, still in disbelief that he had shared the pitch with them. “I’m incredibly pleased for my nine-year-old son, though. He is a massive Man United fan, and he was able to get photos with them all in the changing room.”

The summer transfer window is in full swing, and with that, the rumour mill is constantly churning, so where can we expect to see Bradley after a staggeringly unbelievable start to his United Legends career?

Bradley joked: “I think Ireland comes next, doesn’t it?

““But I think this is a time to retire; there won’t be anything better than this now.”

Despite making this tough decision, Bradley believes it is fitting to end his footballing career at the pinnacle, and in the same weekend, Stapleton called it a day on his Man United Legends career, but the Dubliner will continue to attend golf days and events with the Legends. 

And as the news broke, Bradley was inundated with messages from friends. 

He said: “A friend emailed me ‘Game Over’. As in, I’ve completed life. Hopefully I have a few more things to achieve with my life, but as a youngster, you would say if you scored two goals for United, you would be happy with anything else after that.

“While another said I had lived the dream at 42 to have played for United and scored two goals.”

A squad full of former professional players, including Jaap Stam, Paul Parker, Brian McClair, Keith Gillespie, Karel Poborsky, Frank Stapleton, Clayton Blackmore, Lee Martin, Chris Eagles, and Eric Djemba Djemba, turned out for Manchester United Legends to witness the greatest first and last game in footballing history.