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Alex Ferguson has challenged Manchester United to join the pantheon of all-time great teams by lifting the Champions League title in Rome tonight.
Victory over Barcelona would allow United to become the first side to win back-to-back European Cups since it was rebranded in 1992.
Liverpool and Nottingham Forest both achieved the feat in the 1970s. Now it is the Red Devils' turn to prove their worth.
'There have been a lot of unlucky teams in world football but when you look at the pantheon of great teams you need to have won the European Cup to have that tag,' said Ferguson.
'There is no question about that. It has always been that way.
'Teams like Manchester United and Barcelona have to win the trophy to be regarded in that respect.'
Victory for the 11-times Premier League champions would be a fourth success in Europe's most prestigious club competition, allowing them to draw level with Ajax and Bayern Munich, who both won the trophy on three successive occasions before the English began their dominance, and one behind Liverpool.
Ferguson cannot explain why those back-to-back triumphs have proved so elusive. He just knows the plaudits that await the team who finally does it.
'In the history of the European Cup it was done regularly,' he observed.
'Some won it two or three times in a row. There were cycles of teams winning it like Ajax, Bayern and Real Madrid.
'Now we have an opportunity to change that and hopefully we can take it.'
United's chances would be aided significantly by the presence of Rio Ferdinand, who has declared himself fit for duty after three weeks out with a calf strain.
Until the £29.1million defender appears on the pitch, there must be an element of doubt given he missed the deadline imposed by Ferguson last week of playing some part in Sunday's win at Hull.
However, Ferdinand has pledged not to take a risk and jeopardise team success for personal gain.
'I wouldn't do that,' he said.
'There is no way I will play if my fitness was detrimental to the team.
'It is more about the team winning than me playing in a cup final.
'In any case, I have been working hard with the medical staff and training well. There are no problems. I am fine.’
As United's defence picks itself, with John O'Shea at right-back, and both Michael Carrick and Ryan Giggs expected to be involved from the start, Ferguson's remaining selection dilemma centres around his strikeforce.
Carlos Tevez and Dimitar Berbatov have both filled the central striker's role this season, which would mean a place on the bench for either Anderson or Park Ji-sung, who did not even get that far in Moscow 12 months ago.
However, Ferguson is also toying with the idea of using Ronaldo as an orthodox forward and using Park to plug the right wing, just as Wayne Rooney has done so well on the left.
No matter what the precise make-up of United's side, it will be capable of entertainment, which is why this final, above so many others is looked forward to with relish.
Even a reference to Barca's 6-2 hammering of Real Madrid, who, like United tonight, wore white, cannot lessen the sense of anticipation a day after what would have been Matt Busby's 100th birthday.
'That wasn't a defeat, it was annihilation,' said Ferguson, before adding pointedly: 'We are very happy playing white and we are better than Madrid!
'But this type of game might be beyond fate.
'It has the capability to be a fantastic final.'
