MANCHESTER UNITED’S 1999 Treble winners reunited tonight for the premiere of a new docu-series about their incredible achievement.
Titled “99”, episodes of the three-part Prime Video series delve into the stories behind each trophy won by the Red Devils during their magical 1998-99 campaign.
Ahead of the show’s May 17 release, Man Utd stars of yesteryear got together on the red carpet at Manchester’s Printworks for the premiere.
David Beckham was in attendance, posing for pictures alongside old pal Gary Neville as he arrived.
Neville, 49, also beamed alongside wife Emma Hadfield as he made his way into the event.
Teddy Sheringham, who famously scored United’s equaliser in the 1999 Champions League final, pulled up alongside wife Kristina Andriotis.
READ MORE ON MAN UTD
The pair wed in a lavish ceremony at a golf club in Portugal in June 2016, with Sheringham, 58, having met the former model and PR girl, 38, in 2007.
United fans will have felt plenty of pangs of nostalgia, especially given their team’s current struggles up front, when Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole posed for snaps together.
The iconic strike partnership tore defences apart during 1998-99, and the pair seemed thick as thieves as they grinned together for red carpet pictures.
Nicky Butt, meanwhile, arrived alongside daughter Jersey, 20, and son Ruben, who is on the books at Salford City.
Most read in Football
BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS
The former midfielder, 49, recently appeared at Blackburn Magistrates’ Court today where he admitted causing serious injury by careless driving.
Butt had been driving carelessly through Burnley when he failed to spot the rider.
Legendary goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel cut a dapper figure as he wore a black suit with no tie and bright, box-fresh white trainers.
While former defender Ronny Johnsen was in attendance alongside daughter Lykke, who plays college soccer for Florida Gulf Coast University.
Jesper Blomqvist smiled for snaps in a grey, tie-less suit.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s former No2 Steve McClaren, who now works as a first team coach under Erik ten Hag, also pulled up to the event.
Comedian Humphrey Ker, who is executive director at Wrexham, also made an appearance.
Ventureland, the production company behind the Beckham series on Netflix, are the gurus bringing the 99 documentary to life.
Oscar-winning producer John Battsek was joined by director Sampson Collins on the project.
Both Battsek and Sampson walked the red carpet as they shared their project with its stars.
Not in attendance at the premiere was manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
But the Scot was interviewed and does appear in the film.
Speaking to talkSPORT from the red carpet, Beckham admitted that he hopes films and series like “99” can inspire United’s under-performing current crop.
Obviously it’s been a tough five, 10, 15 years at United
David Beckham
He said: “We’d like to think so and that’s one of the reasons why we want to make things like this.
“Obviously it’s been a tough five, 10, 15 years at United and we all know that but it was never going to be easy when the boss left, (Roy) Keane left, Giggsy (Ryan Giggs) left, Gary (Neville) left.
“All of these important players and personalities and characters all left United, it was always going to be a difficult time.
“We want the lads to feel – from this documentary – the inspiration of being this successful.”
Beckham, 49, also claimed that the onus should be on the players to perform – with pressure having recently mounted on boss Ten Hag.
He added: “You’d hope that the manager doesn’t have to do much. I think that’s the whole point of being a Manchester United player and playing in these big games – you should be motivated.
“When you’re a professional footballer and you’re doing the job you love and you’re at the club you love, when you’re playing in any game, whether it’s a regular season game or whether it’s an FA Cup final against your rivals, that should be enough motivation.
“And, if it’s not, then you’re in the wrong team and you’re playing the wrong sport.
“We went into every game, whether it was a youth cup game, a friendly game, off-season or a European Cup final, with the same mentality and the same drive.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
“We all know Erik’s a very qualified manager and a good manager and he has the right motives.
“We were lucky in our day that we had Sir Alex Ferguson, we were lucky that we had Eric Harrison and Jim Ryan and Nobby Stiles and all of these great managers and motivators.”
Fergie banned me from Man Utd press conferences SEVEN TIMES – I once rowed with him in the toilets
By SunSport’s Manchester United correspondent Neil Custis.
MUCH consternation recently at the news that three football writers were denied the chance to ask Erik ten Hag a question over three consecutive press conferences.
The dismay did not stretch to myself despite being one of those placed briefly on the naughty step.
I don’t agree with such ‘punishments’ for stories or opinions but Ten Hag has had to take a bucketload this season and has never been anything but polite and helpful.
So if he wanted to do something to have a go back for once, no problem.
It’s all sorted now and everyone is friends again.
Having been brought up on Sir Alex Ferguson press conferences and downright unfair bans of varying lengths, seven in my case, you become immune to middle-aged men having a hissy fit.
Recent events reminded me of a lovely warm day at the Haydock Thistle Hotel some years back, where North-West based managers and writers were all invited to a lunch.
Sir Alex was there on the main table laughing, singing and generally holding court when simultaneously all the writers’ phones bleeped with a message from United’s “no communication department”.
He had no doubt arranged for it to be sent bang in the middle of the lunch informing us all that relations would be suspended forthwith.
Our crime was to use his words from a local radio interview he had done that week and the controversial comments he made within it.
We were all fuming so, when he got up to leave I followed him out of the luncheon suite.
As I ranted about how unfair his actions were, he ignored me and walked on ahead, entering another room.
I followed, still ranting, but he kept his back to me and looked down silently.
Was he having a rethink as his gaze remained concentrated, his head stooped?
No, he was having a wee! We had entered the gents but, in my own hissy fit, I hadn’t quite realised.
I’m not sure what the hotel guest two urinals down made of it but how absurd the whole scene must have appeared.
Defeated and deflated, I returned to the luncheon where the free red wine got a hammering and I sulked.
There would be more such incidents, told and retold to this day with laughter.
I always say covering United when Sir Alex was boss was like a stay at Fawlty Towers — not particularly comfortable but certainly unforgettable.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
