What’s the best game of football you’ve ever seen?

It’s a question regularly pondered by all those with an interest in the sport. Liverpool’s astonishing 2005 Champions League triumph over AC Milan is the most dramatic piece of sport I’ve ever watched, but I wasn’t actually in Istanbul so that doesn’t count.

I was lucky enough to be in Geneva for England’s 3-2 victory over Argentina two years ago. I was in Belfast for an incredible 3-3 draw between Northern Ireland and Austria in 2004.

But both these games were overshadowed by what I saw this week. I was one of the privileged 73,000 at Old Trafford for the encounter between Manchester United and AC Milan, and it’s the most enjoyable match I’ve had the pleasure to be at.

With so much at stake, this head to head between two titans of the European game was always likely to be a stirring encounter. And so it proved. A match that swung one way and then the other, the individual flare of Kaka and Ronaldo, breathtaking football, five goals, and Wayne Rooney capping it all with a wonderfully taken, last-gasp winner to perfectly tee up the return leg in Milan next week. It really was one of the nights when magic was in the air, and an experience I’ll never forget.

I attended Sir Alex’s Ferguson’s press conference after the final whistle and the manager still seemed to be taking it all in. I’m going to the return leg in Italy next week and can’t wait for what should be a special night in the San Siro, whichever team progresses to the Final.

An important part of my brief in the build up to the match was to cover the behaviour of both sets of fans. The recent visit to Old Trafford of fellow Italian side Roma had been marred by crowd trouble before kick off, a week after police clashed with fans inside the Olympic Stadium.

But Milan and United have good links having played each other just two years ago, and it was good to be able to report positive news; the supporters mixed together peacefully, and concentrated on enjoying the football.

The day after the game I was straight back down to London to cover an exciting announcement by Portsmouth FC. Owner Alexandre Gaydamak was in attendance as the Premiership club unveiled plans for a new £600 million stadium, and it was good to speak to defender Sol Campbell and Chief Executive Peter Storrie about the impressive designs.

The 36,000 seater arena will be built on reclaimed land in the city’s dockyards, and bring an end to 108 years of football at Fratton Park. These are exciting times for Portsmouth; the south coast club has its sights set on qualifying for the UEFA Cup next season, and now a brand new home could be on the horizon too.

It was an exciting day for Pompey, but a sad one too, after the sudden death of the club’s former manager Alan Ball. He had managed both Portsmouth and Southampton during his career, and another man to do the same, Harry Redknapp, spoke to me about his sadness at the news.

As a journalist it’s always a privilege to meet any of England’s 1966 World Cup winning heroes, and I’ve been lucky enough to interview both Sir Bobby Charlton and Sir Geoff Hurst. I never had the chance to come face to face with Alan Ball but you didn't need to meet him to know this; that the man they called ‘Bouncy’ will always be one the game’s most missed and cherished figures.