Ole Gunnar Solksjaer with Manchester United teammates after the 1999 Champions League Final. Photo Credit: Colorsport/Rex/Shutterstock
“Oh, what a night! Late in May 1999, Ole scored a goal in injury time. What a feeling, what a night!” You can often hear these lyrics being bellowed around the Theatre of Dreams, sung to the tune of the great Frankie Valli’s “December 1963”, as Ole Gunnar Solksjaer’s reign at Old Trafford steamrolls on; United finding themselves joint top of the Premier League, five games into the season. I’m sure my fellow Manchester United supporters would agree that the special moment, highlighted in the chant, is without a doubt the biggest and most victorious instance in the history of the football club.
After triumphs in the 1998/99 Premier League and FA Cup, the young Manchester United team were one game away from securing the Champions League trophy and more importantly on the verge of completing an unprecedented ‘Treble’, never seen before in the history of English football. Energised by the core spirit of the Class of ‘92, baring the likes of David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, there was a sense of inevitability surrounding the team. A mighty opponent stood between United and their place in history; however, three-time winners Bayern Munich were just as hungry for victory in Europe.
Ninety-thousand fans filled the Camp Nou in the centre of Barcelona, fuelled with anticipation and nervousness ahead of the show about to take place. It was the German team who lead early in the game; Mario Basler’s freekick getting the better of the grounded Peter Schmeichel, who was left characteristically fuming at the fragile wall his teammates had formed before him. Bayern dominated the game for ninety minutes, hitting the woodwork twice, in a hurry to put the game to bed. Clive Tyldesley on commentary asked the question “can Manchester United score? They always score.” After watching the season United had undertaken, Tyldesley knew, as did many, that this team could never be written off, no matter the odds.
Injury time strook, a period in which had been renamed ‘Fergie Time’, made famous by manager, Alex Ferguson’s, mesmerising way to play psychological games with referees, earning more time for his team to find important goals. With ninety-one minutes on the clock, United’s goalkeeper, Schmeichel, ran the length of the pitch to join his teammates in Bayern’s penalty box, waiting for Beckham to swing in one of his famous corner kicks. The kick was mediocrely cleared by the German team, only to fall to Giggs, who’s mistimed shot was guided home by Teddy Sheringham. The red side of the stadium erupted, with Manchester United once again finding another game-changing goal in injury time, giving themselves a chance to finish Bayern off in extra-time.
Young Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had other ideas however, with the Norwegian, nicknamed by fans as the “baby-faced assassin”, opting to strike whilst the iron was hot. The Bayern players, after being in front for much of the game, looked shock, exhausted, and disheartened. They’d have to go and do it all again. Ninety-three minutes now appearing on the clock, United had earned themselves another corner. Hero of the hour, Sheringham, frantically met Beckham’s ball in, with a guided header towards the back post, into the path of Solskjaer, who jabbed the ball into the ceiling of the oppositions net. “And Solskjaer has won it!” cried Tyldesley, as the pandemonium took place in Barcelona. The players, the staff, the supporters, anyone associate with Manchester United Football Club simultaneously threw every limb in the air, with Solskjaer sliding on his knees in celebration, in front of the chaos breaking out amongst the fans. Manchester United had reached the promise land, achieving a treble of trophies that had previously appeared ever so distant and unattainable, earning the rightful title of being the greatest achievement by any English football team.
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