On this day in the year 2000, the majority of teams in England were playing out the traditional FA Cup third round fixtures in the freezing cold of the Great British winter. Usually a stand out weekend in the football calendar, the turn of the Millennium however didn't bring with it the usual sense of excitement and anticipation.
This was more than likely due to the fact that FA Cup holders Manchester United were not taking part in the world's oldest cup tournament and were instead sunning themselves on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro.
As the then reigning European Champions, United were strong armed into venturing to South America as part of the inaugural FIFA Club World Championship, being played out for the first time as a pre cursor to what would eventually replace the Intercontinental Cup, which was a one off game between the Champions League and Copa Libertadores winners.
United had lifted the Intercontinental Cup only a month before their Brazilian disaster. Image: PA
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Due to an a bid by the FA to host the 2006 World Cup, Sir Alex Ferguson's men were more or less ordered by the FA to take part in FIFA's new showpiece event, despite the fact it meant they would have to forego the defence of their FA Cup crown.
The decision, unsurprisingly, left many furious, although spending a portion of January playing slightly less than competitive fixtures on the sun kissed pitches of Brazil proved to be a blessing in disguise for United, who returned back to England fully refreshed before embarking on a dominant procession towards their seventh Premier League title.
Sheringham and Beckham could only look on as Edmundo embarrassed Mikael Silvestre in Rio. Image: PA
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However, despite having won the Intercontinental Cup a month previously thanks to a Roy Keane winner in a 1-0 victory over Palmeiras in Tokyo, United never got going in Brazil, struggling to a 1-1 draw with Mexican outfit Necaxa before facing Brazilian giants Vasco Da Gama in the Maracana Stadium.
Despite being the overwhelming favourites, United were humbled 3-1, with the Red Devils' defnce having no answer to the magic produced by Brazilian legends Edmundo and Romario, with Edmundo producing a piece of skill for his goal that proved to be his greatest moment since he got a monkey leathered on ale at his son's first birthday party:
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The match would prove to be one to forget for Gary Neville, though:
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Oh, and if you needed reminding of Edmundo's monkey business:
United would win their final match against South Melbourne but ultimately crash out of the competition at the group stages. Still, Teddy Sheringham looked top notch with a tan.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Football, Manchester United
