What happened in the 1999 Champions League final?

Since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, the state of English club football Manchester United it was not equal. They have not won the Premier League or the Champions League and have struggled to secure a top four finish in the league points table. Furthermore, the ongoing 2023-24 season has been forgettable as they are likely to finish eighth.

Although the club are trying to bring back their glory days, it will be difficult to replicate their success under their former manager. During his 26-year tenure at the club, Ferguson won 38 trophies. Of these, 13 were Premier League titles, 5 FA Cups and 2 UEFA Champions League titles. Manchester United won the UEFA Champions League in 1968, 1999 and 2008. The club’s supporters remember these three occasions fondly. However, the 1999 UEFA Champions League triumph is memorable for several reasons.

Manchester United met German football club Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final at Camp Nou, Barcelona. The match was intense and both teams gave it their all to end their season on a high note. It ended with the English club’s second win in the Champions League, the match ended 2-1 in favor of United.

With this, they became the first team in England to win the treble. Over two decades later, their rivals Manchester City repeated the feat in 2023 and became the second English team to do so.

Prime Video will release a documentary series titled 99 on May 17, 2024, exploring Manchester United’s historic 1998-99 campaign. According to IMDb, the synopsis reads: “Docuseries highlighting Manchester United’s treble-winning ’99 season, told through legendary players and manager Alex Ferguson.”

Who won the match for Manchester United?

Bayern Munich and Manchester United were in excellent form before the UEFA Champions League final in 1999. Like the latter, the former were competing for the treble. The match started at approximately 20:45 and the legendary Pierluigi Collina officiated the match.

Below are the lineups of both teams:

Manchester United

• Peter Schmeichel (Goalkeeper and Captain)
• Gary Neville (back right)
• Ronny Johnsen (centre back)
• Jaap Stam (centre back)
• Denis Irwin (back left)
• Ryan Giggs (Right Midfielder)
• David Beckham (Central Midfielder)
• Nicky Butt (Central Midfielder)
• Jesper Blomqvist (Left Midfielder)
• Dwight Yorke (center forward)
• Andy Cole (centre forward)

Bayern Munich

• Oliver Kahn (Goalkeeper and Captain)
• Lothar Matthäus (sweeper)
• Markus Babbel (back right)
• Thomas Linke (centre back)
• Samuel Kuffour (centre back)
• Michael Tarnat (back left)
• Stefan Effenberg (Central Midfielder)
• Jens Jeremies (Central Midfielder)
• Mario Basler (right forward)
• Carsten Jancker (center forward)
• Alexander Zickler (left forward)

Manchester United’s bench included Raimond van der Gouw, David May, Phil Neville, Wes Brown, Jonathan Greening, Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær. Meanwhile, Bayern Munich’s substitutes were Ali Daei, Hasan Salihamidžić, Thorsten Fink, Thomas Strunz, Mehmet Scholl, Thomas Helmer and Bernd Dreher.

Ferguson’s assistant at the time, Steve McLaren, once recalled this historic moment, saying that after Solskjær scored United’s second goal, their opponents showed no desire to fight back. McLaren said: “All the Bayern players were on the floor – they didn’t even want to start again. I knew I won it.”

Former Manchester United talisman David Beckham hopes 99 will inspire the current squad

In recent years, Manchester United have struggled to perform consistently. They will not play in the 2024-25 Champions League season. In addition, some of the good players in the squad are likely to leave them this summer. However, football legend David Beckham hopes the series will inspire United’s current crop of players and help them return the club to its glory days.

Speaking at the premiere of ’99, Beckham told BBC Radio 5 Live: “In all honesty, I think anyone who watches this documentary and has anything to do with United will be inspired by it. It has been a difficult time for the team in recent years. But it always would be. When we were as successful as we were for many years. It will always be this time.”

He concluded his statement by saying, “Now, we feel that it probably took a little too long. But it’s going to mean something to those guys at home no doubt because the guys at home are actually talking about that moment in time, so hopefully it inspires them.”

Manchester United still have a chance to win a trophy this season. They will face rivals Manchester City in the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 25 May.