It is a measure of the progress Manchester United have made this summer that they kick off their Champions League campaign in Switzerland this evening with two players who have each won the competition four times with Real Madrid.
Of all the attributes Cristiano Ronaldo and Raphael Varane bring to United, there is none greater than a stellar European pedigree that saw them win the cherished La Decima — Madrid’s 10th triumph in the European Cup — followed by three more Champions Leagues in the four seasons that followed.
Throw in five UEFA Super Cups and eight FIFA Club World Cups between them, and you get some idea of the kind of European experience United have got for their £62.