Of sporting legends

You get football players who are all mercenary like, always trying to get more money and making headlines for all the wrong reasons. And then you get players like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
To be honest, I always felt my affection for Solskjaer isn't as high as it should be. He's every bit the best team player you can get, never a complaint from him, and he just goes about doing his thing and puts a smile on my face.
I remember ages ago when I still played CM, I used Solskjaer as Sir Alex did, as a supersub. I remember once I even sold him to Newcastle, and he returned to haunt by scoring a brace in a 4-0 win. Somehow, for all his skills, he never got the chance to establish himself as a 1st team player. The closest he got I think was when he was paired with Van Nistelrooy, but he got himself injured then. I think I always felt like he was a nearly man, always on the fringes, called upon to conjure a goal out of nowhere to save the day.
But I grew to admire him. His finishing was deadly, he had the composure and skill that was required of a real striker. He could score tap ins and spectacular goals as well, and could hit a good cross when he was played in right midfield for a time being.
One can accuse me of being misty-eyed, but it's hard to believe that Solskjaer has followed me in my support of Man Utd for so long. He was signed at the start of the 1996 season, along with Karel Pokorsky and Jordi Cruyff. All I remember of the 2 of them was a last minute equaliser from Cruyff against Derby in 99. And look where the 2 of them are now in the history of Man Utd.
As for Solskjaer, there are so many moments that will stick in my mind. 4 goals against a very hapless forest, that flick of the boot which capped off that magical night in Barcelona, a brace against Newcastle the start of this year, which were his first goals at Old Trafford since his injury, his cross for Giggs to equalise against Arsenal which was pivotal in the 2002/03 title race, his excellence on the right flank in the 5-3 win against Newcastle which was memorable for other things like Shearer's crazy freekick and Ruud's hattrick, the opener against Newcastle at St Jame's in the same season where he broke the offside trap to beat Given from an impossible angle, to equalise and provide the platform for a 6-2 thrashing, his brace against Ipswich which helped ease a painful defeat the week before, many, many more incidents that I can't recall offhand.
I read an article, which posed a question, who will be the legends of our time? Who will be the players that you will tell your sons about, and while doing so you'll inevitably stare into the distance as the happy memories flood back? Who will thses players be, the ones that will live on forever in our memory, whom we will speak of 20 years to come?
I'm sure for many a Man Utd fan, Solskjaer will be one of them. He'll never be as revered as Eric Cantona, simple because he was always the everydayman in red, quietly doing his job, and he always did it well.

You are my Solskjaer, my only Solskjaer,
You made me happy, when skies are grey.
Even though Shearer, was much more dearer,
please don't take my Solskjaer away

2OLEgend