Roman Abramovich's first encounter with English football nearly 20 years ago was on the night I drove him to Old Trafford.
My friend Pini Zahavi had offered me one of his executive box seats for Manchester United's Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid. I decided against going to the match, in which the Brazilian Ronaldo starred and United won 4-3, but agreed to drive him and some friends over from Manchester Airport anyway.
One of them was Abramovich, who sat in my passenger seat and mistook me for the chauffeur.