The new owner of Manchester United does not suffer from the “Bombonera syndrome”: will he demolish the legendary Old Trafford?

What may be considered sacrilege in Argentina may be a simple procedure in the football of petrodollars and billionaires. The comparison comes from this side: while at Boca there is still discussion about whether to reform the Bombonera or the Mudarla (a discussion that has been going on for years, even if one would never think of demolishing it), in London The tycoon who has just bought 25 percent of Manchester United would be willing to demolish Old Trafford. Yes, the legendary Theater of Dreams where the Red Devils have played for 110 years.

A few days ago, United finally announced their new shareholder: Jim Ratcliffe, a 71-year-old British billionaire with a fortune of $13 billion, which acquired 25% of the club for approximately £1,250 million (approximately $1,585 million). Furthermore, he already plans to invest another 380 gringos just in the modernization of the stadium. And JR (who, paradoxically, shares initials with Riquelme) analyzes the demolition more than seriously.

From the beginning there is a clear difference between the privatization model proposed by the Sports Joint Stock Companies prevalent in Europe and the reference to function, tradition and social sentiment which for now continues to predominate in Argentina, even if the discussion is closed .

In this sense, Europe and South America (or, specifically, our country) are two different worlds. Atlético de Madrid had no qualms about demolishing the old (but also historic) Vicente Calderón and selling the property to build almost 1,000 homes at a cost starting from 300,000 euros. A couple of cranes were enough to demolish the pitch in a couple of hours in front of the eyes of hundreds of fans who came to greet Vicente Calderón. Naturally there was no mobilization nor any municipality to prevent the sale of the land. What would happen in Argentina if the lands of the Vélez, Independiente or Parque de la Independencia in Rosario were sold?

The modern Wanda Metropolitanowhich is now called Cívitas (and in time will have another name) The cost was 360 million euros. Of course, mystique can’t be bought, not even with that mountain of money.

It has always been said that Aleti is the “Corso di Spagna” due to the years of suffering and the loyalty of its fans. In Avellaneda, however, they boast of being the Argentine team that has been in the same place the longest: those once led by Diego Simeone (Colchonero coach) have been playing in Alsina and Colón since 1906, 117 years ago. Another difference: on 12 August 1999, the Academy fans chained themselves together to avoid the auction of the Villa del Parque headquarters.

But we are in England and the legendary Old Trafford will be the first major obstacle that the tycoon will have to face also owner of the French Nice and the Swiss FC Lausanne-Sport. The Red Devils’ home, built in 1910 and last renovated in 2006, and which seats around 75,000 people, is in a poor state that has led to rats, leaks and a collapsed ceiling.

According to fans, the Theater of Dreams is “in ruins”. Some time ago, an image went viral in which, in the middle of a great storm, a waterfall fell onto the stadium stands.

It is clear that Old Trafford was very outdated compared to the rest of the world’s stadiums. Given this situation, there are two paths that are proposed to the English team: that of renovation or that of demolition and its subsequent construction.

Those around the club have already begun to move with some architectural firms, although in England they point out that the most interested is the Populous firm, responsible for the Tottenham Stadium, built in 2019.

Chris Lee, director of this construction company, is confident that with the arrival of a new owner the project can get underway as soon as possible. For this reason they have put forward two types of proposals to modernize the stadium and solve the security problems it currently presents.

If it were renovated, the foundations of the old Old Trafford would be used to improve some structural conditions and reform some parts. There is talk of expanding the south stand using the railway line that sits directly behind the stadium and remodeling the rest to achieve a much more cutting-edge look.

However, the studio’s preferred option is to demolish the stadium.

In this sense, Lee stated that “a new construction could prove to be the most profitable solution” and argued that “the initial project is obviously the highest but there is a lot of land available for development there, for a cost of 2, 54 billion dollars.” .

“If you change the Bombonera, they will tear your heart out,” claimed Juan Román Riquelme at the height of his campaign for the presidency, when the opposition proposed moving the stadium. It seems that in London this wouldn’t be a problem.