Editing Alex Ferguson (section)

====1998–99: Treble success====
United opened the [[1998–99 Manchester United F.C. season|1998–99 season]] with a 3–0 loss to Arsenal in the [[1998 FA Charity Shield]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Wenger's all-stars write an epitaph to United |first=David |last=Lacey |page=21 |newspaper=The Guardian |location=London |date=10 August 1998}}</ref> The beating did not concern Ferguson, though he described his team's defeat by Arsenal in September 1998 as "a lot less tolerable". In December 1998, Kidd left his role as assistant to become the manager of Blackburn Rovers. Ferguson instructed [[Eric Harrison]] and [[Les Kershaw]] to find suitable replacements, "in terms of coaching ability and work ethic." Both recommended [[Steve McClaren]], the assistant to [[Jim Smith (footballer, born 1940)|Jim Smith]] at [[Derby County F.C.|Derby County]]. McClaren was Ferguson's initial choice and appointed him in February 1999. His first game as assistant was [[Nottingham Forest F.C. 1–8 Manchester United F.C.|United's 8–1 victory over Nottingham Forest]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Atkinson left eightsome reeling after United rout |first=Colin |last=Stewart |page=31 |newspaper=The Scotsman |location=Edinburgh |date=8 February 1999}}</ref>

Ferguson felt United's bid to regain the Premier League began indifferently because of their commitments to other competitions. He was willing to "pay for the progress" made in the Champions League; the team finished second in their Champions League "group of death", behind Bayern Munich and ahead of Barcelona. United's win against Liverpool in the FA Cup fourth round was a portent for the remainder of the season. A goal down after three minutes, the team equalised in the 86th minute and scored the winning goal through Solskjær in stoppage time.<ref>{{cite news |title=United pull off Cup smash-and-grab |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/football/261973.stm |work=BBC News |date=24 January 1999 |access-date=4 January 2014}}</ref> On reflection, Ferguson said it was "a demonstration of the morale that was to be every bit as vital as rich skill in the five months that lay ahead of United".<ref name="mdf">{{cite news |title='The celebrations begun by that goal will never stop |first=Oliver |last=Holt |pages=36–37 |newspaper=The Times |location=London |date=7 August 1999}}</ref>

[[File:PalmaresManU.jpg|thumb|upright|Under Ferguson, United acclaimed a treble of trophies in the 1998–99 season.]]
In the final weeks of the league season, Arsenal emerged as a credible challenger to United. Both clubs were also paired together in the semi-final of the FA Cup, decided by a replay as the original game finished goalless.<ref name=":9" /> Keane was sent off in the second half and United conceded a penalty late into the match with the score 1–1. [[Dennis Bergkamp]]'s effort was saved by Peter Schmeichel.<ref name="semi">{{cite news |title=Giggs wonder goal is final thrill |first=Oliver |last=Holt |page=52 |newspaper=The Times |location=London |date=15 April 1999}}</ref> Ferguson hoped his team "could at least take it to a penalty shoot-out", but instead the match was settled in extra time: Giggs ran the length of the pitch and evaded several Arsenal players to score the winning goal.<ref name="mdf"/> United went on to beat Newcastle United in the [[1999 FA Cup Final|FA Cup final]] and completed the double – a week earlier the team had regained the [[1998–99 FA Premier League|Premiership]] title.<ref name="mdf"/>

United's progression in the Champions League was promising compared to previous seasons. The team eliminated Inter Milan at the quarter-final stage and faced [[Juventus FC|Juventus]] in the last four of the competition.<ref name=":9" /> A late goal scored by Giggs in the first leg earned the team a 1–1 draw, but in spite of conceding an away goal, Ferguson was adamant of United's chances of reaching the final: "...&nbsp;something tells me we are going to win. The nature of our club is that we torture ourselves so much that the only way to get relief is by winning over there."<ref>{{cite news |title=Giggs throws United a lifeline |first=Oliver |last=Holt |page=52 |newspaper=The Times |location=London |date=8 April 1999}}</ref> At the [[Stadio delle Alpi]], striker [[Filippo Inzaghi]] scored twice to put Juventus 3–1 up on aggregate.<ref name="juv">{{cite news |title=Heroic United have final word |first=Oliver |last=Holt |page=56 |newspaper=The Times |location=London |date=22 April 1999}}</ref> Keane headed in a Beckham cross to halve the deficit just before half-time, but was later shown a yellow card for a foul on [[Edgar Davids]], which prevented him from playing in the final.<ref name="juv"/> Yorke equalised, before Cole added a third to win the match outright.<ref name="juv"/> Keane's performance merited praise from Ferguson:
{{blockquote|It was the most emphatic display of selflessness I have seen on a football field. Pounding over every blade of grass, competing if he would rather die of exhaustion than lose, he inspired all around him. I felt it was an honour to be associated with such a player.<ref name="mdf"/>}}

Days after the FA Cup final, United travelled to Barcelona, the setting for the [[1999 UEFA Champions League Final|UEFA Champions League final]]. Ferguson contemplated his team selection against Bayern Munich; suspensions to Scholes and Keane ruled both players out of the match.<ref name="mdf"/> Beckham was positioned in centre midfield, while Giggs moved to the right wing and Blomqvist started on the left – changes the manager felt would prevent the opposition from playing narrow.<ref name="mdf"/> United conceded in the first six minutes of the final, from a [[Mario Basler]]'s free kick. Sheringham, who came on for Blomqvist, equalised from a corner in the first minute of additional time. McClaren told Ferguson to get the team organised for extra time, to which he replied, "Steve, this game isn't finished."<ref name="mdf"/> Three minutes into added time, Solskjær scored the winner, which for United completed an unprecedented [[Treble (association football)|treble]]. Ferguson, interviewed moments after, said, "I can't believe it. Football, bloody hell. But they never gave in and that's what won it."<ref name=":11" /> He and Schmeichel, the stand-in captain, jointly lifted the cup during the trophy presentation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Meehan |first=Abbie |date=2024-10-03 |title='I'm a Man Utd Treble winner – but Sir Alex Ferguson almost sacked me' |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/peter-schmeichel-man-united-ferguson-33812465 |access-date=2024-10-20 |website=The Mirror |language=en}}</ref>

A crowd of over 500,000 people<ref name=":10" /> turned out on the streets of Manchester to greet the players, who paraded through the city in an open-top bus.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/28/sports/plus-soccer-manchester-united-half-million-fans-greet-winning-club.html |newspaper=The New York Times |title=Manchester United; Half-Million Fans Greet Winning Club |date=28 May 1999 |access-date=5 January 2014}}</ref> As European champions, United were invited to play in the [[Intercontinental Cup (1960–2004)|Intercontinental Cup]]. The club also entered the inaugural [[FIFA Club World Cup|Club World Championship]], which was held in Brazil. This brought about a potential [[fixture congestion]] so United accepted the FA's recommendation of withdrawing from the FA Cup, the first holders to do so.<ref>{{cite news |title=United pull out of FA Cup |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/football/fa_carling_premiership/381662.stm |work=BBC News |date=30 August 1999 |access-date=8 August 2013}}</ref> In later years, Ferguson elaborated on the club's decision: "We did it to help England's World Cup bid. That was the political situation. I regretted it because we got nothing but stick and terrible criticism for not being in the FA Cup when really, it wasn't our fault."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/manchester-united/6713077/Sir-Alex-Ferguson-Manchester-Uniteds-1999-FA-Cup-withdrawal-was-a-mistake.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/manchester-united/6713077/Sir-Alex-Ferguson-Manchester-Uniteds-1999-FA-Cup-withdrawal-was-a-mistake.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |title=Sir Alex Ferguson: Manchester United's 1999 FA Cup withdrawal was a mistake |date=3 December 2009 |access-date=16 May 2011 |location=London}}{{cbignore}}</ref>