Paul Scholes has admitted he felt embarrassed to celebrate in the aftermath of Manchester United’s incredible Champions League final comeback win over Bayern Munich in 1999.
United had already wrapped up the Premier League title and FA Cup over the previous 10 days, and were chasing an unprecedented Treble as they headed to the Nou Camp to face the German giants.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s side fell behind early on to a Mario Basler free-kick and looked destined to come up short, but they scored twice in stoppage time through Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to complete a remarkable turnaround that secured the club’s first and only Treble.
For many United players and fans, that night in Barcelona will go down as the greatest in the club’s history, but Scholes has revealed that he did not want to celebrate on the pitch with his team-mates as he did not play in the final due to suspension.
‘We didn’t want to do it (celebrate),’ Scholes told ex-team-mate Nicky Butt on the brand new Football’s Greatest Eras podcast.
Man United completed a historic Treble with a stunning comeback win in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich in 1999
Paul Scholes did not play in the final due to suspension after getting booked in the semi-final against Juventus
United captain Roy Keane was also suspended for the showpiece event, and Scholes believes neither really felt like they had won the Champions League that night.
‘I think Roy would be the same, wouldn’t he?’ Scholes continued. ‘When you look back, you think, “Did you win that Champions League?” and it didn’t really feel like it.
‘I think you have to be involved in the final. You have to at least be part of it somehow to actually feel like you warranted the medal.
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‘But, look, it was a nice gesture from the lads, of course (to get Scholes and Keane on the pitch). It’s something you expect from team-mates, of course you do, but it was slightly embarrassing.’
Scholes wasn’t in the party mood immediately after the final whistle, but he revealed that soon changed, with neither he nor Butt getting much sleep in the days after United’s historic achievement.
‘I think from that minute we got into the party downstairs, I think that was a two-day party bender, wasn’t it?’ Butt asked.
Scholes replied: ‘We got a flight from Manchester and we’re still walking around Barcelona at half seven in the morning the day after, with my dad and his mate, because Claire couldn’t come because she was pregnant with Aaron. So, she was ready to give birth.
‘So, my dad and his mate came, Macca, and we were in a bar just around the corner from the Arts Hotel. It was like on a bit of a beach, a bit of a coastal bit. We sat there at half seven in the morning and we’re flying in two hours.’
Scholes claimed he felt like he didn’t warrant a medal due to not being available for the final
Butt added: ‘I didn’t go to bed either. I was just down in the bar with my dad and all the lads. I remember having my medal around my neck, and I think I had it around my neck for three days!
‘I must have stunk, it must have been stinking because literally champagne on you and everything. We just didn’t go to bed.’
Football’s Greatest Eras with Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes launches on Wednesday 18 September. Episodes will be available every Wednesday. Watch the show on YouTube or listen to it wherever you get your podcasts.
