Lifelong Manchester United fan Karl Hanssens has been following the Red Devils since the early 80s.
Born in Belgium, where he still lives to this day, Karl has never let distance come between him and his love of football and all things United.
Karl’s amazing personal collection of photographs, programmes, ticket stubs and anecdotes from following United in the 1980s recently featured on Lower Block – taking in matches at Old Trafford, and aways games at the likes of Anfield, Goodison Park, Highbury, White Hart Lane and Villa Park. The collection is a time capsule of the way football looked during that era, and Karl’s words evoke memories for many of football before the millions rolled in from TV money.
Here, Karl shares some of his photographs from United’s infamous 1999 Champions League run – a competition they would go on to win that season.
Inter Milan (Ventola, 63) 1-1 Manchester United (Scholes, 88). Stadio San Siro, 17 March 1999. Manchester United win 3-1 on aggregate.
MUFC Rotterdam 91 | Richard Davis
A series of photographs by Richard Davis that focuses on partying Manchester United fans in Rotterdam for the Cup Winners Cup Final against Barcelona, 15 May 1991.
A limited edition A5 zine containing 28 black and white archival photographs across 24 pages, first published in 2023.
Juventus 0-3 Manchester United. Delle Alpi-Turin, 25 February 2003.
A more recent trip saw Karl follow United to Madrid for their Champions League clash against Atlético in 2022, focussing on the atmosphere and passion of the home fans as well as the stadium architecture.
Atlético Madrid 1-1 Manchester United. Metropolitano Stadium, 23 February 2022.
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