United's team contained just two players -- Ray Wood and Tommy Taylor -- who had commanded a fee, with the club hamstrung in terms of finance following the Second World War, forcing it to nurture talent from the famous Academy, which former chairman James Gibson had founded during the club's financial struggles.

The "Babes" had already proved to be the most talented side of their generation within the domestic game but their lack of experience was cruelly exposed against a "streetwise" Real.

"Nobody in England was aware about just how good Real Madrid was at the time," said Clare, who was at Old Trafford as a youngster that day.

"However, despite their fantastic lineup, United's 'Babes' were a match for them -- apart from experience.

"That was the difference between the two teams. There was a big difference in the average age between the teams -- United's was 22 and Real's was 29," added Clare.

Blunt the blade

The contest, according to the editorial in the Manchester Guardian, would rest on whether United could "blunt the edge of the sharpest club attack in Europe."

Busby's team had overturned a two-goal deficit in the quarterfinal, winning 3-0 at home to Athletic Bilbao after losing 5-3 in the first leg in Spain.

In Dennis Viollet and Tommy Taylor, United had two forwards who had already terrorized defenses across the continent, plundering goals for fun.

But it was young winger David Pegg who had caused Real the most problems in the first leg, causing the Spaniards to take Manuel Torres on loan in place of Jose Becerril.

Torres, considered to be one of the hardest men in Spanish football at the time, was given the task of nullifying the threat posed by the 21-year-old winger.

It did the trick, too. With Pegg nullified, the attacking prowess of the great Di Stefano, the technically supreme Kopa and the effervescent Rial, Real were far too strong, even with the mud bath of a pitch.

The presence of Di Stefano, the European Footballer of the Year in 1957 and 1959, was an almighty treat for those packed inside Old Trafford.

It led to the Manchester Guardian heaping praise on one of the most talented players of his generations, comparing him to legendary orchestra conductors of the day -- Thomas Beecham and John Barbirolli.

"That Di Stefano's colleagues should play instinctively up to him is no more surprising than that an orchestra should play up to Beecham or Barbirolli," it read.

"He preserves the balance and dictates the tempo in the same way. His rewards are said to be fabulous."

Unstoppable tidal wave

With Di Stefano to the fore, Madrid roared into a two-goal lead within the opening 33 minutes thanks to goals from Kopa and Rial to extend its advantage to 5-1 on aggregate.

Having played three league games in six days in the lead up to the tie, United soon grew frustrated despite goals from Taylor and Bobby Charlton leveling the score on the day.

Constant fouling and a number of offenses left referee Leo Horn claiming after the match that "there must have been 50 or 60 infringements."

"The game itself was not a great spectacle," Clare recalled.

"Madrid feigned injury, wasted time whenever they could, kicked the ball away into the crowd when United were awarded free-kicks.

"It was really frustrating as back then, you never ever saw those kind of things happen."

Real's style certainly left its impact, with Duncan Edwards telling the media the experience was "damn rough," while United captain Roger Byrne claimed the Spaniards "lacked sportsmanship."

A raucous Old Trafford crowd booed the visiting players mercilessly at the final outcome, leading Daily Express journalist Desmond Hackett to write how he had "never felt so ashamed of an English soccer crowd in all my life."