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Sir Alex Ferguson returned to the dugout of the “Theatre of Dreams” for the first time since he underwent surgery after suffering a brain hemorrhage last May. The 1999 Treble-winning side played against Bavarian legends from different eras in a game that, to the home fans’ delight, resulted in a comfortable 5-0 victory for the previous Red Devils stars.
Man Utd ’99 Legends starting XI: Schmeichel (captain), G.Neville, Stam, Johnsen, Irwin, Beckham, Butt, Scholes, Blomqvist, Yorke, Cole
Bayern Legends starting XI: Butt, Witeczek, Demichelis, Matthäus (Captain), Ottl, Ze Roberto, Effenberg, Paulo Sergio, Olic, Makaay, Elber
Substituted early on, current Manchester United coach Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer started the goal scoring with a typical tap-in inside the 6-yard box. In a game that was naturally slow paced, the 46-year-old Jaap Stam displayed his competitive spirit with a two-footed tackle aimed at Ivica Olic which, if made in a regular game, could have easily resulted in a sending-off for the Dutch legend.
Trinidad and Tobago legend Dwight Yorke increased the lead to 2-0 in the 30th minute. The fans had to wait until the 79th minute for the third Manchester goal which came from a fantastic finish from Nicky Butt. Louis Saha scored the 4th and Manchester United icon David Beckham increased the tally even further with a well-placed finish, which resulted in a standing ovation from the crowd.
It was an amusing afternoon which brought nostalgia amongst both sets of supporters. With the club legend Sir Alex returning, current manager Solskjaer scoring and David Beckham having the last word with a fantastic finish, traveling United supporters returned home with a smile on their face. Something that was perhaps needed after a tough season where Manchester United finished 6th in the league.
Bayern Munich finished their football season off in style, winning both the league and the cup in the space of a week. In Manchester, the situation is not as positive, as Solsjkaer has a lot to prove after a poor finish to the campaign.