May 26th, 1999. The date will be remembered as a historic one by all the Manchester United fans all over the world. The Red Devils achieved what every top-flight club dreams of, i.e., winning the “Treble”. Under the tutelage of Sir Alex Ferguson, the Reds of Manchester not only won the Premier League and the FA Cup but stunned German Giants Bayern Munich in the Champions League to score two very late goals and lift the coveted trophy to wrap up a triumphant 1998/99 season.
The summer transfer window was a productive one for the Red Devils, as they added the likes of Jaap Stam, Dwight Yorke and Jesper Blomqvist to their lineup. The team managed by the legendary mastermind Sir Alex Ferguson were famous for their “never-say-die” attitude and carried that on throughout the season to make it the best in their history so far.
Manchester United looked in great form on the domestic form as they eased past their opponents to win the Premier League and the FA Cup as the first two major silverware of the season. However, the highlight of the season was the dramatic comeback that the Red Devils pulled off in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich as Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored a goal apiece to get their side past the mighty Bavarians to stand with the coveted silverware on the winners’ podium.
The legendary referee Pierluigi Collina, who presided over the match, described it as the most memorable of his career. To describe the magnanimity of the atmosphere at the stadium on the night, the Italian official compared the noise coming from the crowd with that of a “lion’s roar”.
During team selection, Ferguson had to face a huge challenge to construct his midfield ahead of the mega match as both his mainstays in the midfield, Roy Keane and Paul Scholes, had to miss the match through suspensions. In the absence of Keane, the captain’s armband was handed over to Danish goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, who was playing his last match for the Red Devils, having announced his intention to leave the club for Sporting Lisbon in November 1998. The defence constituted of the likes of Jaap Stam alongside Ronny Johnsen, who replaced his compatriot Henning Berg. David Beckham was given the task of stabilizing the central midfield alongside Nicky Butt, while Ryan Giggs and Jesper Blomqvist started on the right and left wing respectively. The two highest scorers of the season, Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke led the line for the Red Devils against Bayern Munich.
The first goal of the match was scored by the Bayern Munich star Mario Basler as his low free-kick proved too good for the Manchester United wall and their goalkeeper. The Bavarians looked well on course to lifting yet another European trophy but the two substitutes Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had other plans. The first goal was nestled in by Sheringham while Solskjaer was quick to react to a header from the former, winning the match for their side with just a few seconds left on the clock. Both goals came from corners dealt in by David Beckham.
Twenty years down the line, a lot of things have changed at the Theatre of Dreams. The glorious days are now just a shadow of the past as Manchester United had to finish another season without a major silverware. However, today, on the 20 years anniversary of the Treble-winning season of 1999, we salute the indomitable attitude of the 15 players who realized the dream of their fans in the most memorable of ways. We also wish the Red Devils all the best for the future and hope they will soon be able to repeat the history and bring back the smiles on the faces of their fans once again.
