For
a moment, time stood still. In that moment, history was made and one of the
game’s greats etched an indelible mark in football’s historical core. Having
looped the ball high into the air, Roberto Carlos, in this side just another galactico, stood, watched and waited, just like the rest of us. As the
ball rose and then fell through the darkness, the sensation that time had
momentarily stood still was shared by thousands. And then, as if Zinedine
Zidane was the only person in the ground still ticking, one acrobatic sweep of
his left leg won the Champions League for Real Madrid. Hampden Park, Glasgow
had just bore witness to one of the most staggering and at the same time simply
transfixing moments of footballing history. Yet at the same time it had also provided
the setting for the nadir of Bayer Leverkusen’s surge up the footballing ranks.
It was the goal to beat all goals, yet the one that ultimately saw the end of
an era for Leverkusen.
