Markus Babbel has revealed where he stands on Manchester United completing a famous treble after their 2-1 Champions League win over Bayern Munich in 1999.
Sir Alex Ferguson became the first manager to lead an English team to a continental treble, with Manchester United pulling off the feat in the 1998-99 season.
United narrowly edged out rivals Arsenal to the Premier League title by a single point after the Red Devils produced a sensational 2-1 comeback win against Tottenham.
Following their Premier League triumph, Sir Alex Ferguson’s men completed the second phase of the treble with a 2-0 win over Newcastle at Wembley in 1999.
United had punched their ticket to the Champions League final in 1999 after a famous semi-final win over Serie A side Juventus.
The Red Devils played out a 1-1 draw against Juventus at Old Trafford before securing a famous 3-2 comeback win in Turin thanks to Roy Keane’s performance.
Babbel on Man Utd vs Bayern Munich final
Manchester United travelled to Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium in May 1999 for their encounter with Bayern Munich in the Champions League final.
Sir Alex Ferguson was already at a disadvantage for the Champions League final, with both Paul Scholes and Roy Keane suspended for the Bayern Munich clash.
Bayern took control of the showdown in the sixth minute after Mario Basler opened the scoring at the Camp Nou, with United placed on the back foot in the final.
However, Ferguson’s men pulled off the unthinkable in second-half injury time after Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer both made an impact from the bench.
David Beckham set up Teddy Sheringham for the equaliser from injury time before he delivered another corner and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored the winner.
Speaking to FourFourTwo magazine, Markus Babbel admitted it was “unbelievable” that Bayern lost the final to United after leading for the majority of the match.
“What a final this was,” he said.
“We had so many chances – at 1-0 up, we had opportunities to make it two, three or four.
“Then we conceded in the 91st and 93rd minutes. It was unbelievable that we lost, but that’s sport and I’ve come to accept it.
“Manchester United had some suspensions and injuries, so it wasn’t their best team, but we were much better.
“People always say it’s the Germans that never give up, that we’re never beaten. But United did it to us – they were fighting and believing until the end.”
Babbel’s reaction to Man Utd win over Bayern
Babbel, who played the full 90 minutes of the Champions League final, insisted that it was “hard to take” the result at the full-time whistle at the Camp Nou.
However, the ex-Bayern defender’s reaction has changed over two decades later, with Babbel thrilled that he was part of a “fantastic” match in the history of football.
“When the final whistle blew, it was so hard to take, but 25 years later you say, ‘I was part of a fantastic game,’” Babbel explained.
“My biggest dream was to win the Champions League and I was so close to doing it. But some people wish they could play in a final like that.”
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
