The final of the 1999 Champions League final was played on what would have been Matt Busby’s 90th birthday, who had previously brought the European title to Manchester in 1968 and died in 1994. The Red Devils entered the Camp Nou looking to seal the treble, having won the Premier League and FA cup earlier in the year. The match look poised to be the perfect finish to the perfect season, but, six minutes into the match, Ronny Johnsen took down Bayern striker Carsten Jancker just on the edge of the area. Up stepped Mario Basler to take the free kick which despite popular belief, took no deflection and instead curled past Schmeichel into the bottom left hand corner of the goal, leaving the keeper motionless.

The German, side who were made up entirely of German players compared to United’s four Englishmen, started strongly in the second half, with both Jancker and Basler testing the ever prepared Peter Schmeichel. United responded with their best move of the match so far, at fifty five minutes, when Jesper Blomqvist sent a stretched effort just over the bar, after a cross from Giggs.The match seemed to be edging away from United, who brought on Teddy Sheringham whilst Bayern brought on German playmaker Mehmet Scholl, who immediately set up Stefan Effenberg for a long-range shot, which flew just wide. Another Effenberg effort was tipped over the bar by Schmeichel, before a delicate twenty-yard chip from Scholl hit the post and flew into the arms of a grateful Schmeichel. Desperately needing a goal, Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson brought on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with ten minutes remaining, who immediately produced a diving save from Oliver Kahn. A minute later, Jancker saw a sensational overhead kick smash the crossbar, as Bayern failed to seal the trophy. Both Sheringham and Solskjaer produced saves from Kahn in the final ten minutes.

As the fourth official indicated three minutes of extra-time, United won a corner, as Clive Tyldesly famously asked "Can Manchester United score? They always score." Beckham swung in the corner, which, after some confusion fell to Giggs on the edge of the box. Giggs drove it back in to the box where Sheringham duly slotted the ball into the back of the net on 90 minutes and 36 seconds. Following the restart, United won the ball back from the kick-off and smashed the ball long to Solskjaer who won yet another corner. Seemingly heading for extra-time the commentator remarked that "you have to feel this is their year" as Beckham swung the ball in again the commentator asked, "is this their moment?" Beckham’s cross landed on the head of Sheringham, who guided a header towards goal and onto the foot of Solskjaer who poked the ball into the roof of the net. United may not have been the better team on the day but with luck on their side, the managed to do the unthinkable and win the treble, as Clive Tyldesly exclaimed, ‘Manchester United have reached the promised land’.