Just found this piece in the book Abramovich: The Chelsea Diary Abramovich's passion for football had been activated when he went to the 2002 World Cup finals in Japan and Korea. But he first set his heart on owning a club when he sampled the atmosphere of a Champions League tie between Manchester United and Real Madrid at Old Trafford and thought seriously about buying United. ... Abramovich says, 'It was a very beautiful game and I realised I couldn't pass it by. That's when I decided I really wanted to be involved in football. The whole atmosphere got to me. On the way back to Moscow, I couldn't stop thinking about it. So I said to my people, "Find me a football club." I looked at ten clubs in England, of which four were "possibles".' Then, there are lines that Abramovich looked at Spurs first and even met Daniel Levy. This was Roman's shortlist - Lazio, United, Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea. http://www.amazon.com/Abramovich-Chelsea-Diary-Harry-Harris/dp/1844540480