Hard to believe it's 15 years ago already, what are your lasting memories of that Champions league success apart from John Terry falling on his ass? Really should have been another treble winning team.
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Champions of Europe this day 15 years ago.
- Thread starter always_hoping
- Start date
My favourite memory is my dad saying Anelka would miss and the next guy would win it for us. He was right and I miss him. He's not dead, just gone away for a few weeks.
I remember after we won it, thinking about how it had been such a long time since our previous victory in 1999, and how surely it wouldn't take us another nine years to win the CL again. 
Unforgettable day! That team should have gotten another CL if not for Rooney’s injury in 2010. Thinking about it, on 2011 against UEFAlona we should have had a bigger chance of Fergie picked Berba instead of Chicha.
Thanks for this. That lineup picture gets me every time. We will be back.
We definitely should have won more of these.
ETH can do it.
ETH can do it.
Its all a distant memory now. Unless we get thec Qataris wealth, then memories of winning the big 2 trophies, will be all we have. City and Necastle will pull away from the rest.
Don't need oil rich sugar daddies to be winning the "big 2" again. The club is well able to generate it's own wealth, one of the biggest brands in the world. What is needed is those shady looking American leeches gone and replaced by competent people who's focus is as much on the field than off it. Will make a huge difference in the years ahead to no longer have clueless business men of those leeches in control of transfers, players contracts.
Was watching it in a pub with a group of United fans. One of my friends got absolutely plastered during the 120 minutes and when Van der Sar got a hand to the Ashley Cole penalty he celebrated wildly. I had to disappoint him
When Anelka came up, like three different people exclaimed he's gonna miss. And he did. After the shootout, we discovered some vases on shelves around our table and we passed them around, pretending to lift them like ol' Big Ears.
There was a group of Chelsea fans upstairs. After it was over, one of them came down, congratulated us, and said 'see you next year, same time, same place'. And he was a last minute Iniesta shot (and a... unique refereeing performance) away from actually being correct. I think about that a lot.
When Anelka came up, like three different people exclaimed he's gonna miss. And he did. After the shootout, we discovered some vases on shelves around our table and we passed them around, pretending to lift them like ol' Big Ears.
There was a group of Chelsea fans upstairs. After it was over, one of them came down, congratulated us, and said 'see you next year, same time, same place'. And he was a last minute Iniesta shot (and a... unique refereeing performance) away from actually being correct. I think about that a lot.
Good times.
Other than the usual moments in that game (the goals, Anelka, Terry, Drogba slap, etc.), I sort of remember a very good chance that Carrick (?) had to score which Chelsea saved on the line. If that had went in, it would have been a very comfortable game from then on.
What a team, what a final, I remember the intense drama of the penalties like it was yesterday.
I was watching it in a pub, and walked out when John Terry was stepping up to take the penalty. Then my mate came running out and shouted, “GET THE FECK BACK IN, THAT PRICK HAS MISSED!”
I knew then, we would win! The party last days.
Great memories!
I knew then, we would win! The party last days.
Great memories!
Where will these mysterious people appear, though. Out of thin air?
I was there and it took me three days to get home. We had to emergency land in Poland. Great times.
Strangely enough, have more memories of the 99 final than this one. The one thing I clearly remember was being so sure we would lose in the shoot out. Oh, my celebration with my son was something that I will always treasure.
15 years. Wow.
Two abiding memories - Ronaldo in tears having missed his penalty but still being sure we could win it when Anderson scored his (I'm not usually confident in shoot outs) and, being a keeper myself, yelling at VdS which way to go for Anelka's penalty - and just knowing he knew where it was going... Actually there is a third: SAF brought on penalty takers quite/very late on: if Ole had brought on a penalty saver in the Europa he might have saved his job...
What I had forgotten totally is that Rio was captain.
What I had forgotten totally is that Rio was captain.
There are many stand out memories, but the abiding one is the smile on VdS's face when he jumped the right way to save Anelka's penalty. He KNEW he was going to save it... I'd love to see a video of that save again.
That assist from Wesley People like him were the glue-players who made us just a little bit better than everyone else under Fergie.
People like him were the glue-players who made us just a little bit better than everyone else under Fergie.I was there in the Luzhniki Stadium - right behind the goal where the penalty shoot out happened
Didn't get out the ground until about 2am, ended up in Hard Rock Café Moscow until dawn with Mr Myagi leading the celebrations!
Didn't get out the ground until about 2am, ended up in Hard Rock Café Moscow until dawn with Mr Myagi leading the celebrations!
15 years, Christ where has the time gone??
Always weird to think about how there’s only nine years between our two CL wins under Fergie, it felt a lot longer than that and so much changed. 15 years is too long for a team of this stature not to win the European Cup .
.I assume we sing it most years, changing the destination based on location, but that "going to moscow" song is ingrained in my head. Felt like we sung it constantly that season.
It was probably the most tense and nervouis game Ive ever watched. I felt phsically ill after it all. Far more so than 99 as for most of that game I had resigned myself to defeat. Was just waiting for Bayenr to finish us off
What a night! I remember that shoot-out being the most tense period of any game I’ve ever watched (defending the 1-0 lead against Barca in the semis a close second). Giggsy was always my favourite player and I was praying he scored his penalty. Hargreaves scored a lovely one onto the top corner. I always thought the way in which we won both CL’s under Fergie showed how tough a competition it was to win, even with the great teams he built.
Just sad it's been 15 years since we've won it, hopefully we give it a good go next season.
This was right in Fergies day but now when decent players cost 80 mill plus and 10 mill plus a year in wages and elite over 100 mill, then when your up against super wealth we wont be competing for the elite players regularly.
What a team that was. The tempo at which we played football back then, no one could really cope with it. Even though, as the old fart that I am, I will probably always have even fonder memories of the team that won it in 1999.
It's funny after deserving to win more than 2 Champions Leagues in that time span, the two finals we won had a lot of luck to them. Terry slipping and Bayern collapsing. We deserved to win against Chelsea more than we did against Bayern in general play anyway. It was a good Chelsea team but thought we could have drove home more that we were better than them after the early goal. Nevertheless, all's well that ends well and that was a truly great United side.
Feck me, it's been 15 years. Like a dream but we have already spent a decade in the wilderness.
It was a crazy final. We should have been out of sight in the first half. Chelsea scored a shitty deflected goal (typical) and I think they hit the bar too? But they came back strong in the second half. We shaded ET, and then Drogba got sent off as well.
So much drama and high stakes. Glad we won.
Have to say - we and Chelsea were the top 2 teams in Europe for that 07-09 spell. They really should have made the final the year after if it wasn’t for a corrupt Barca ref in the semis.
So much drama and high stakes. Glad we won.
Have to say - we and Chelsea were the top 2 teams in Europe for that 07-09 spell. They really should have made the final the year after if it wasn’t for a corrupt Barca ref in the semis.
Remember being an absolute wreck watching those pens. Was watching the game with my old man and brother. Stormed out of the room when Ronaldo missed, managed to calm myself down and come back in to watch the rest of the shootout, then losing my shit when Van Der Sar saved Anelka's pen
And what a team. Would beat the absolute shit out of those doped up, plastic cnuts.
And what a team. Would beat the absolute shit out of those doped up, plastic cnuts.
I watched it in what is now Turtle Bay on Oxford Street in Manchester. Think it was called Varsity or something like that at the time. Got absolutely wankered and almost missed the last few penalties after going out to get my mate who had walked out before JT stepped up.
What an achievement. 15 years though? Fecking hell it’s getting on a bit now, 10 years since our last league title as well. Just hammers home how much we’ve declined since the great man retired.
What a day, can't believe it's been so long.
Was 14, probably remember every second of that season better than any other one weirdly enough. Remember getting in from school just before Ronaldos goal, going mental and I didn't even take my shoes off yet. Think those were the days I was using sopcast to find some random streams. Remember hiding behind the couch during the pens and was on the verge of being devastated with that terry pen, only to run all around the house in celebration (just for the miss). One of the best days tbh.
Was 14, probably remember every second of that season better than any other one weirdly enough. Remember getting in from school just before Ronaldos goal, going mental and I didn't even take my shoes off yet. Think those were the days I was using sopcast to find some random streams. Remember hiding behind the couch during the pens and was on the verge of being devastated with that terry pen, only to run all around the house in celebration (just for the miss). One of the best days tbh.
I remember Terry heading a certain Giggs goal off the line in extra time(?) somehow and yelling FFS at the TV.
And I remember being confused when VDS saved Anelka’s penalty wondering whether we had won or we needed to score a pen ourselves, then going nuts when they showed the United bench storming the pitch.
And I remember being confused when VDS saved Anelka’s penalty wondering whether we had won or we needed to score a pen ourselves, then going nuts when they showed the United bench storming the pitch.
two phenomenal teams who should’ve contested the next years final
Any well run club has these people, even Liverpool had it Michael Edwards.
15 years ago, wow! I can remember like it was yesterday! 
Never would I have imaged we would have gone a MINIMUM of 15 years without winning the CL again and by the looks of it, it will be at least 20 years before we realistically win another one, unless we get a positive outcome with the ownership situation (even then it would take a few years to build a squad to compete)
A club of our size should have won at least 1-2 more Champions League trophies since our last victory in Moscow. Considering we haven't been close to winning it since 2011 (12 years) is frightening. The decline is real
Never would I have imaged we would have gone a MINIMUM of 15 years without winning the CL again and by the looks of it, it will be at least 20 years before we realistically win another one, unless we get a positive outcome with the ownership situation (even then it would take a few years to build a squad to compete)
A club of our size should have won at least 1-2 more Champions League trophies since our last victory in Moscow. Considering we haven't been close to winning it since 2011 (12 years) is frightening. The decline is real