The Red Devils reigned supreme again this season, as United fans basked in the glory of their tenth Premier League title, and followed with a thrilling victory over Chelsea in the first all-English Champions League final. Sir Alex Ferguson is certain to have Manchester United motivated coming into next season, with the ultimate goal of The European Treble in their sights.

The summer months will no doubt be a good time for United fans to bask in the glory. But unlike last summer, there is some football to keep fans interested. This is in the form of the Euro 2008. As United fans, we have had a reputation of not following the English national side with the same fervour as we do for our club. Whilst, that may be true of some, most fans, by and large, would love to see the lads do well for their respective countries. Which is why there is a rich history of flag waving of countries like Argentina and Portugal at Old Trafford.

So whilst we may not be able to catch the sizeable English contingent in action in the European Championships at Austria-Switzerland, we could still watch our heroes turn up for the likes of Portugal, France, Holland and so on.

So before we head off to our respective couch to decide on which team to support this time round, here’s a little background on the European Championships.

Since 1960, the most talented men’s national football teams in Europe gather together every four years to compete in the grand spectacle known as the UEFA European Football Championship.

This tournament, oftentimes referred to as “Euro 2008” or whichever appropriate year, draws some of the greatest football players in the world to compete for the Euro Cup. It has seen the legendary days of West Germany’s Gerd Muller and France’s Michel Platini, to the more recent emergence of United’s and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Euro Cup finals, which have grown from 4 teams in the inaugural year to 16 teams in the most recent installation, have witnessed groundbreaking events in football, including the advent of the so called silver and golden goals, countries refusing to play other countries, a 150-1 long-shot win it all, and even a coin-flip to determine a semi-final winner.

So what do Ernst Happel Stadium, St. Jakob Park, and the Euro Cup Championship have in store for us this year? We shall have to wait and see.

While still on the subject of international football, in 2006, it was estimated that over 715 million individuals, or approximately 1/9th of the world’s population, watched the final of the World Cup that year. Needless to say, the eyes of the world will be focused on South Africa in 2010 as the most widely-viewed sporting event comes to African continent for the first time ever.

Will the Italians be able to follow up their 2006 performance to become the first back-to-back World Cup champions since the great Brazilian teams of 1958 and 1962? Or will another traditional powerhouse like Argentina or Germany regain the title and celebrate another championship in Johannesburg? Maybe the up and coming programs of the Czech Republic, Greece, or Portugal will show the perfect balance of finesse and flair to spring the upsets necessary to be crowned the 2010 World Cup Champions!

2010 though, would be a long time ahead, as England under Capello plot their path towards the World Cup. At the moment, however, there will be more than pride at stake this summer when the European powers converge in Austria and Switzerland in what promises to be a good tournament.