Manchester City can become just the second English side to complete the Treble if they beat Inter in Saturday’s Champions League final.
Victory in Istanbul would give City significant bragging rights over arch-rivals Manchester United, the only other team from this country to complete such a feat in 1999.
The Red Devils edged Arsenal to lift the Premier League by one point and beat Newcastle to win the FA Cup. But a harder test came against Bayern Munich when Alex Ferguson’s side scored two late goals to win 2-1 in one of the most dramatic Champions League finals of all time.
It was the crowning achievement of Ferguson’s trophy-laden tenure at Old Trafford and one which everyone on the red side of Manchester will not want to be repeated by their so-called “noisy neighbours”.
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 26, 2022
Back in 1999… A night @ManUtd fans will never forget.#UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/Rn6pkH7tsE
As Pep Guardiola’s side prepare for their own shot at glory, i looks back at each player in the 1999 United squad and where they are now:
Man Utd’s 1999 Treble-winning team
Manager:
- Alex Ferguson
Starting XI:
- Peter Schmeichel
- Gary Neville
- Denis Irwin
- Jaap Stam
- Ronny Johnsen
- Jesper Blomqvist (off 67′)
- Ryan Giggs
- Nicky Butt
- David Beckham
- Dwight Yorke
- Andy Cole (off 81′)
Subsitutes:
- Raimond van der Gouw
- David May
- Phil Neville
- Wes Brown
- Jonathan Greening
- Teddy Sheringham (on 67′)
- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (on 81′)
Suspended:
- Roy Keane
- Paul Scholes
Peter Schmeichel
The Dane ended his United career in spectacular fashion, making key saves against Alexander Zickler and Stefan Effenberg on that night in Barcelona.
Schmeichel played for United for eight years, appearing 292 times and lifting five league titles. His son Kasper became a Premier League winner at Leicester City, and Peter now works as a television pundit. He was present at Wembley for City’s recent FA Cup final win over United.
Gary Neville
Now famed for his punditry on Sky, Neville often downplays his role within the team but he was a mainstay at right-back throughout the season, playing the joint-second most games in the league along Schmeichel with 34.
United were the only club of Neville’s 19-year career. He made 400 appearances, winning 12 Premier League titles and two Champions Leagues.
Alongside four other United players, Neville is now a co-owner of League Two club Salford City.
Denis Irwin
The Irish defender started his United career in 1990, moving from Oldham Athletic, and went on to play for Ferguson until 2002 collecting 368 appearances.
He later retired at Wolves in 2004 and has since worked as a television presenter and United ambassador.
Jaap Stam
The Dutch centre-back was arguably the most important figure in the defence as he brought stability and leadership, recovering from an Achilles injury to play in the Champions League final.
His United career was short-lived after a falling out with Ferguson and he was sold to Lazio in 2001, just three years after his arrival in England.
Stam later delved into management taking permanent roles at five different clubs from 2014 to 2021 including Reading and Feyenoord.
Ronny Johnsen
Together with Stam, Johnsen was the second figure of United’s key centre-back duo.
In the second half, as Cartsen Jancker ran through, Johnsen showed his defensive muscle to push the Bayern player wide and force a tame shot that Schmeichel could tap away.
The Norwegian is now head coach of FK Eik Tonsberg, a lower division team in his home country.
Roy Keane
The captain and heart of United’s 1999 team was Keane, the all-action midfielder willing to enforce his rough style on anyone.
United were tasked with finding their pulse in Barcelona without the Irishman who missed the crucial game due to suspension after picking up a yellow card during his match-winning display against Juventus in the semi-finals.
Nowadays he works alongside his former teammate Gary Neville as a Sky Sports pundit.
Paul Scholes
Alongside Keane, Scholes also missed the final due to suspension, meaning both of United’s starting central midfielders were absent.
Scholes has delved into punditry since hanging up his boots for a second time in 2013, mainly working with BT Sport. He had a short spell in management when he took over at Oldham Athletic in 2019, resigning just a month later after winning one of seven games.
David Beckham
Beckham had a lot to prove in the 1998-99 season after becoming public enemy number one following his red card against Argentina at the World Cup.
“Golden Balls” went on to become a fan favourite that campaign, racking up 18 assists alongside nine goals across all competitions. His importance to the side became more evident in the last few minutes of the final against Bayern as both goals stemmed from his corner kicks.
The iconic No 7 spent four more years in Manchester before his transfer to Real Madrid. He is the current president and co-owner of Inter Miami and Salford City and was an ambassador for the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
Ryan Giggs
United were minutes away from losing the Champions League final when Giggs latched onto a loose ball from a corner to slot into the path of Sheringham to tap in. It was his second vital contribution to United’s Treble win after he scored one of the most memorable goals in FA Cup final history in the semi-final win over Arsenal.
Giggs became United’s record appearance maker with 936 games and wears the crown for the most Premier League titles won at 13.
He later became a manager and assumed the Wales national team job but later left his position after being arrested over allegations of domestic violence. He faces a retrial in July 2023.
Nicky Butt
Often a forgotten name within the squad, the Englishman came through the ranks at Carrington as part of the fabled Class of 92 alongside Giggs, Beckham, Scholes and the Neville brothers.
With Keane missing from the final Butt took on the defensive graft in midfield that allowed Beckham to be more adventurous.
Butt earned 270 appearances for the Red Devils and later went to play for Newcastle United, Birmingham City and in Hong Kong until the end of his career in 2011.
From 2016-17 he also served as an interim manager for United’s under-23s and now works at the chief executive at Salford City.
Jesper Blomqvist
Blomqvist was often competing with Giggs for gametime but for the Champions League final they shared the same pitch.
Up until the equaliser the Swede had arguably the best opportunity to score when he stretched to get on to the end of a cross on the six yard line but shot wide.
After his retirement in 2010 he went on to open a pizza restaurant near Stockholm.
Dwight Yorke
Yorke signed from Aston Villa for £12.6m at the start of the season and netted 29 goals in all competitions as he formed a deadly partnership with Andy Cole.
The striker started the match against Bayern but was unable to score, and mostly unable to get clear cut opportunities after having a shot deflected into the safety of Kahn.
He later went on to play for Blackburn, Birmingham, Sydney and Sunderland.
Andy Cole
Cole, the other half of United’s deadly strike duo, scored 24 goals in all competitions during the 1998-99 season as he proved to Ferguson that he deserved to be a mainstay within the side.
He remained at United for five further seasons and then went on to play for eight other clubs, making it 13 in total throughout his 19-year career.
Teddy Sheringham
Sheringham came on as a substitute to score a dramatic equaliser as the clock ticked past 90 minutes. Beckham’s corner eventually reached Giggs whose scuffed shot from the edge of the box fell to Sheringham six yards out.
The striker got a crucial touch to scoop the ball past Kahn and into the bottom corner to leave Bayern stunned before then turning provider for Solskjaer’s winner moments later.
Sheringham played until the ripe old age of 42 and was most recently seen professing his love for Inter ahead of their meeting with City in an advert for a bookmaker.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Solskjaer also came on as a substitute and became a United cult hero after netting the winner at the death. The Norwegian found himself in the right place at the right time to get on the end of Sheringham’s header from a corner and toe-poke it into the roof of the net.
1⃣6⃣ years at Old Trafford…
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) February 26, 2021
Happy birthday, 1999 winner Ole Gunnar Solskjær!#HBD | @ManUtd | #UCL pic.twitter.com/Z9xL6tPnBr
Most recently Solskjaer was the United manager between 2018 and 2021, finishing as high as second in the league and beating the likes of PSG in the Champions League knockout rounds.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/CViTK0b
Post a Comment