Where else could what seemed like the whole of human experience come together to celebrate the achievements of 11 men? What other sport could bring nearly half a million people onto the streets of Manchester in admiration for their team than the extraordinary, exhilarating game of football?

On the basis of about three minutes of football in the Nou Camp Stadium in Barcelona on Wednesday night, the names of Alex Ferguson, Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be remembered when the history of 20th Century British sport is written. For the carpers and the complainers, this improbable story cannot be rewritten.

For those who needed reminding in Manchester yesterday, and there weren't many, Manchester United were the first English team in history to win the treble, and it seemed as if the whole world had come to watch their triumphant homecoming.

With the celebrations in Barcelona over, the team having finally stepped out of the shadow of Sir Matt Busby's 1968 winning team, history was in the air again in Manchester.

The weight of history, unconditional love, sheer joy, it was all there in both the faces of the thousands of fans lining the streets of Manchester and in the faces of the Manchester United footballers themselves as they waved to their fans from their victory bus. The Premiership, the FA Cup, the European Cup, all the trophies were "coming home".

Along the seven mile route from the airport, past Old Trafford and through the city centre streets to the climax of the celebrations at the Manchester arena, young and old, men and women, came to share in the victory.

"We couldn't stay away," said one fan. "We had to be here to experience it. It can't be watched on television because this is the greatest football team the world has ever seen".

Yet if the team thought that the fans on the streets were deafening, when they arrived at the arena nothing could have prepared them for the screams and the flashes of a thousand cameras. The thumping of the disco music was unbelievable as the team was greeted by 20,000 fans, and when they walked up the red carpet to the centre stage of the arena, they walked like kings. The fans screamed their names and sang "Glory Glory Man United" over and over again and the players just lapped it up. And when Alex Ferguson wanted to thank the whole world and one by one the players held the championship cup above their heads, the crowd went wild and screamed for more.

"Are you ready for one more sing-song?" the fans next to the stage were asked. The faithful complied screaming "Champions, Champions" with one voice. Louder and louder they shouted until they were nearly hoarse, an amazing well of sound enveloping everybody and everything. Just when everyone thought they had no more energy, the fans began dancing the samba, waving their flags and kissing each other.

"This is altogether something bigger, brighter and more exciting than any football fan can explain," said one emotional fan.

Instead of trying to explain their emotions, the fans blew their whistles, stamped their feet and waved their flags and gazed at their team. They would tell their unborn children about this great Manchester United side, one couple said. Some even described it in terms of a Messianic homecoming.

"Alex Ferguson is God" was not a surprising description when all around the city Manchester United's faithful fans had gathered to pay homage.