Man Utd have a huge following in Scandinavia and Swedish supporters gathered at an event before facing Leeds.
Steven is a senior writer and covers Manchester United for the Manchester Evening News. You can follow Steven on Twitter at @StevenRailston.
Everyone in Stockholm knew that Manchester United were in town over the weekend.
The receptionist at one hotel said they were fully booked because of the pre-season friendly against Leeds on Saturday afternoon, and accommodation prices had rocketed.
United shirts were dotted around Sweden’s capital and the 50,000-capacity Strawberry Arena was sold out for the match. And while Leeds fans had a presence at the game, the majority of the crowd came to see United.
On the eve of the pre-season opener, local supporters congregated at O’Leary’s – a sports bar in the centre of Stockholm – for an event organised by Manchester Supporters Club Scandinavia.
Members of different supporter branches across Scandinavia were present for a night of entertainment, which included a United quiz, music from Ryan Jarvis, a live podcast, and a question-and-answer session with former United players Jesper Blomqvist and Ronny Johnsen, who also signed autographs.
Many fans travelled from Norway and there was a healthy split between Swedish and Norwegian supporters in the bar, along with a handful of Mancunians.
United colours decorated each corner of the room and even the staff behind the bar wore United shirts. One employee wore a Jesse Lingard shirt and another had David Beckham’s name on the back.
Blomqvist and Johnsen were generous with their time after the Q&A, taking photos with fans and taking time to chat.
The pair are idolised by fans in Scandinavia for what they achieved at Old Trafford. They were art of the treble-winning dressing room in ’99 and never have to buy a beer when they are in Scandi territory.
A friend of Rune Sorkie, one of the organisers of the night, joked he was almost as famous as well-known as Blomqvist and Johnsen. Sorkie was the MC during the night, introducing the different guests to the stage, and he spoke to the Manchester Evening News when he had a minute away from his duties.
“I first started supporting United after getting a Christmas gift from my grandparents,” Sorkie said. “It was a Manchester United scarf and my brother got Derby County. And that’s when we started looking up the games on Norwegian television on a Saturday, because it was only one game shown on the Saturday.
“Every time it was Manchester United, I was always watching that. Since then, it has been my team. I was not one of the founders of the supporters’ club, but it started in 1981. I became a member in ’83 and have been a member ever since.”
Sorkie was proud to have Blomqvist and Johnsen involved. “It’s really cool,” he said. “The really fun thing is Jesper is Swedish, Ronny is Norwegian and there is a lot of Norwegian and Swedish people at this event, it’s not just Swedish.
“I think we’ve been able to give people from both sides of the world, people from the Swedish and Norwegian community, a great experience, combining them tonight.”
Sorkie continued: “It’s really nice to have United back in Sweden. It shows there is a lot of people cheering for Manchester United in Sweden. We have sold over 6,000 tickets for the game tomorrow, and most people [fans at the game] will be supporting Manchester United.
“There are a lot of Leeds fans as well, but the majority will be Manchester United supporters. And that’s why we say there is so much in Sweden for us to work with when it comes to building the Swedish Manchester United fan community.”
The day after the event, United and Leeds played out a 0-0 draw and the game wasn’t a great spectacle, but it was all about getting minutes into the players’ legs ahead of the United States tour.
Over the next few weeks, Ruben Amorim will hope to lay the foundations for a successful season and Sorkie said he was firmly behind the 40-year-old ahead of his first full season in charge.
“I’m slightly optimistic because we have the chance to have a great pre-season,” he said. “We can build the team around what Ruben Amorim is thinking and what he wants to get out of the team.
“Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo will change the dynamic in the team. I’m a little bit excited because there will be new players who are are equipped for that kind of system.”
Sorkie continued: “It will be a lot better [the new season] because what was sad was Amorim came in during the middle of the season and he had to take all the players who weren’t his choice.
“And now we’re starting to see okay, with all the players that he inherited, does he actually want them with him? Which are going to fit in his system? And what does he need for the future to succeed?
“I think he has the knowledge and skills to change the team. He showed that at Sporting Lisbon. With the right players, with the right philosophy, we can achieve great stuff.”