United Trophy Tour Rings out 2013 in Asia

As 2013 comes to a close, Manchester United and DHL look back at the first two legs of the United Trophy Tour, delivered by DHL, which took the coveted Barclays Premier League Trophy throughout Latin America and Asia. Reds fans on both continents got the chance to celebrate Manchester United’s record-breaking 20th Premier League title.

After kicking off in Rio de Janeiro on October 30, where United Legend Denis Irwin took the Barclays Premier League trophy to visit the iconic Christ The Redeemer statue, the Treble-winning defender chaperoned the Trophy through Chile and Ecuador before wrapping up the Latin American leg in Mexico City on November 9. Scores of fans came out at each stop, eager to get a glimpse of the silverware, meet a United legend and have a rare look at memorabilia from the Manchester United Museum.

Trophy in Asia
In early December the Tour restarted in Jakarta, where legends Ronny Johnson and Quinton Fortune took over from Irwin, travelling on to Taipei, Seoul, Shanghai, Guangzhou and ending in Hong Kong. Top stops included the historic Namdaemun Gate in Seoul and Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Guangzhou, China. In Hong Kong the silverware took an open-air bus ride through the city with 50 special guests.

United’s fan base in Asia is obviously just as enthusiastic as in Latin America. The tour brought out many people and the excitement was written all over their faces. Get an impression by watching a short video feature on the event in Shanghai.

Trophy Tour in 2014
The Trophy Tour is far from over and many more top-notch locations await the arrival of one of the world’s most sought-after trophies. Here’s a general overview of the tour schedule in 2014 (exact dates will be announced in future newsletters as well as at manutd.com):

* January: Middle East/India (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, India)
* February: United States
* February/March: Asia (Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Burma, Japan)

In all, the United Trophy Tour – delivered by DHL – will travel 67,000 miles to visit 31 cities in 24 countries, ensuring English football’s most prized silverware is shared with the world’s greatest supporters.

Be sure to follow the United Trophy Tour as it travels the globe right here at www.dhl.com/InMotion as well as www.ManUtd.com/UnitedTrophyTour – and on Twitter @DHL_ManUtd and #ManUtdTrophyTour.

Behind the scenes at the Manchester United Museum at Old Trafford
DHL takes you inside the Manchester United Museum with United legends and current players in a series of exclusive videos. Catch the latest video about the team’s heroes and watch the rest of the series here.