2. Manchester United, 1998-99
Starting XI: P. Schmeichel (GK); G. Neville, R. Johnsen, J. Stam, D. Irwin; D. Beckham, P. Scholes, R. Keane, R. Giggs; A. Cole, D. Yorke.
It’s a significant feat to be crowned the greatest team that Sir Alex Ferguson ever put together at Manchester United. But the treble-winning team of 1998-99 most certainly earned that honour.
Prior to the season, United had seen veteran centre back Gary Pallister leave for Middlesbrough. To replace him, Ferguson splashed more than £10 million on Dutch defender Jaap Stam. His partnership with Norwegian Ronny Johnsen, who had arrived two years earlier, would prove to be every bit as dominant as Pallister’s had been with Steve Bruce in the early ’90s. The other major acquisition came in the form of Dwight Yorke, who cost £12.6 million from Aston Villa. Yorke, like Stam, proved to be worth the outlay, and his own partnership with fellow striker Andy Cole is still considered one of the most dangerous and lucrative in Premier League history. Perhaps most significantly, the homegrown youngsters that had broken into the team in the mid-’90s – Giggs, Scholes, Beckham, Butt, and the Neville brothers – were now fully established and in their prime. As was captain Roy Keane, who dovetailed magnificently with hi midfield partner Scholes. Schmeichel, 35 and entering his final season in the Old Trafford goal, was as good as ever. And is there a more underrated player in Premier League history than Denis Irwin? The experienced fullback was approaching his mid-30s in 1998, but was a cornerstone of the Ferguson’s back four.
The bench, too, boasted a staggering collection of talent: Phil Neville, Henning Berg, Nicky Butt, Jesper Blomqvist, Teddy Sheringham, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. All would play telling roles as the team lifted the Premier League, FA Cup and, on a magical night in Barcelona, the Champions League. An unprecedented achievement.
Next: No. 1