1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season
117th season in existence of Manchester United / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The 1998–99 season was Manchester United's seventh season in the FA Premier League and their 24th consecutive season in the top division of English football. After finishing the previous season without winning any titles, United won the Treble of the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League in 1998–99, the first side in English football to do so. During the campaign, United lost only five times: in the Charity Shield against Arsenal; in the fifth round of the League Cup against eventual winners Tottenham Hotspur; and three times in the league, including their only home loss all season, against Middlesbrough in December 1998. A run of 33 games unbeaten in all competitions began on 26 December at home to Nottingham Forest, whom they also beat 8–1 away from home in February 1999, Manchester United's record away win in the Premier League. The season was characterised by comebacks, particularly in the FA Cup fourth round against Liverpool and the semi-finals of the Champions League against Juventus, but none more so than in the Champions League final, when Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær scored in injury time to overturn Bayern Munich's early lead.
1998–99 season | ||||
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Chairman | Martin Edwards | |||
Manager | Alex Ferguson | |||
FA Premier League | 1st | |||
FA Cup | Winners | |||
League Cup | Quarter-finals | |||
UEFA Champions League | Winners | |||
Charity Shield | Runners-up | |||
Top goalscorer | League: Dwight Yorke (18) All: Dwight Yorke (29) | |||
Highest home attendance | 55,316 vs Southampton (27 February 1999) | |||
Lowest home attendance | 37,337 vs Nottingham Forest (11 November 1998) | |||
Average home league attendance | 55,188 | |||
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Veteran players Gary Pallister and Brian McClair had left the club before the season began, but their replacements (Dutch defender Jaap Stam from PSV Eindhoven and Trinidadian striker Dwight Yorke from Aston Villa) were both signed for club record fees. In November 1998, goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel announced his intention to leave the club after eight years at Old Trafford, joining Sporting CP at the end of the season. The club was at the centre of a takeover bid of more than £600 million from BSkyB early in the season, but that was blocked by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission in March 1999.
Fans and writers regard the Treble as manager Alex Ferguson's greatest achievement. In recognition of his success, Ferguson was awarded a knighthood, and handed the Freedom of the City of Glasgow in November 1999. David Beckham was named UEFA Club Footballer of the Year for the 1998–99 season, and was runner-up to Rivaldo for 1999's Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards. Their achievement has only been matched once by an English club: by local rivals Manchester City in the 2022–23 season.[1]