When Giuliano Maiorana made the remarkable move from non-league football to the Theatre of Dreams in a matter of six weeks, the left-winger was understandably left astounded. The 19-year-old had only recently been scouted by Eastern Counties League outfit Histon, and was settling in to a half-empty Bridge Road after previous spells in Sunday league football. However, following a trial at the Theatre of Dreams, Maiorana temporarily swapped a 300-strong crowd for roaring spectators in their absolute thousands, each and every individual chanting the Italian name with a Mediterranean charm.
Fresh from the bakery in which he earned his living, Maiorana became only the second Italian in history to represent the Red Devils, following Carlo Sartori’s four year spell during the 1960’s and 70’s. He had been deemed too small to represent Cambridge United, but after just 30 appearances for the Stutes – who list the likes of Arsenal youngster Ömer Rıza and Charlie Sheringham, son of Teddy, as the more illustrious members in their alumni – enjoyed a trial in Manchester, guided by Sir Alex Ferguson.
The midfielder is now delivering upholstered furniture rather than bathing in his glory, but as Maiorana was to learn, you can love football, yet football will never love you. From Manchester United’s Ray Medwell watching the stimulating performance of the wideman of a desolate Saturday afternoon, to his club manager Alan Doyle guiding the youngster on his journey up to the North, Maiorana was to learn the nature of a professional footballer very quickly – with Brian Kidd even adjourning a training session to allow the kid to get involved.
Despite the somewhat frightening prospect of some of United’s greater talents – led by a man who would soon revolutionise English football with the development of his ‘fledglings’ – the Cambridge-born star impressed the boss enough to earn his first opportunity alongside football’s finest. With Ferguson first giving the youngster a break in a testimonial match at Birmingham, it didn’t take long to get his first competitive opportunity, being named on the bench for Millwall’s daunting visit to Sir Matt Busby Way in January 1989.
Over 40,000 had packed Old Trafford, and Ferguson roamed the touchline as Clayton Blackmore, Mark Hughes and Tony Gill all made the scoresheet. Less than two months after playing on a deteriorating pitch in Cambridgeshire, Maiorana was preparing to replace Ralph Milne. Nonetheless, the story continued for ‘Jules’ as the exciting, if erratic, winger would find himself starting against Arsenal just two months later. He had immediately sustained the support of the crowd home and away, but his antics off the field weren’t as pristine and immaculate. Ferguson labelled the youngster as “one of the greatest trialists he had ever witnessed”, and a measly £30,000 transfer fee, while lauded with a four-year contract, led to Maiorana’s transfer saving a doomed Histon – already in a wealth of debt and only falling further in a catastrophic spiral. He had individually been the reason for the persistence of his former side, who remain to fight to this day.
However, for the ‘Italian stallion’ his first downfall came courtesy of his hair. Possessing a style anyone would be proud to boast, the Italian was unwilling to comprehend the orders of a disapproving Ferguson, who repeatedly told him to cut his esteemed locks – with the star’s reluctance displeasing the boss.
Yet, the fame and potential fortune of Maiorana was somewhat lost in a matter of moments. Becoming out-of-favour with Ferguson saw the unconventional player deployed in the reserve team, one notable fixture seeing the Reds face Aston Villa. In the slender hopes of impressing and returning to the first team, a tackle from Dwight Yoke ultimately ended the career of the teenage prodigy at the tender age. Irreparable knee ligament damage briskly concluded his time with the English giants, and he was subsequently released after just seven appearances, despite his prosperity and affluence of a luminous career at United.
A brief spell in Sweden with second-tier side Ljungskile SK produced little improvements, and after a handful of appearances, a return to England was on the cards. Upon his homecoming, attention was turned to the family upholstery business, and Maiorana had gone from a non-league irregularity, to a hero for one of the most recognised clubs in England, and back to a part-timer with Newmarket Town in the Eastern Counties League Premier Division before he could evaluate his journey and the misfortunes of football.
‘Jules’ Maiorana remains a carpenter, and has but a few memories of what could have been in the limelight at Old Trafford, adored and esteemed by the Old Trafford faithful. He struggled to even watch a game of football for many years, and has now simply had to come to terms with the facts. Retirement at 24 was as bitter as ever.
