What happened to every Man Utd & Bayern Munich player from 1999 Champions League final? | OneFootball

It’s been 24 years since England renewed its rivalry with Germany through the medium of the Champions League final between Manchester United and Bayern Munich.

Except, this match symbolised an unprecedented first, it was one of the few occasions that English football fans, outside the Manchester United camp, rooted for a German victory, and the same applied to our Germanic cousins who had no ties to Bayern.

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On 26th May 1999, Barcelona’s Camp Nou was readying itself to host the clash of the Titans and one of the most dramatic finals in the competition’s compelling history. From punditry and management to nine-pin bowling and Danish game show presenting, here is where those involved on that historic night in Catalonia are now…

Goalkeeper: Peter Schmeichel

When he’s not soaking in one of his son’s games, the 1992 European Championship winner with Denmark keeps himself busy. From participating in Soccer Aid, appearing as a football pundit, and even landing a gig as a Danish television presenter, the former shot-stopper’s retirement shows no sign of tiresome monotony.

Arguably, Sky Sports’ most esteemed pundit alongside Jamie Carragher, Gary Neville paints a familiar face and a discernible voice on our TV screens. The part-owner of League Two, Salford City, as well as Old Trafford’s Hotel Football, the Premier League Hall of Famer has his fingers in many a pie. Away from football, he’s an ardent political commentator, often voicing his disapproval of current political misdealings.

A largely forgettable name outside Manchester United circles, Ronny Johnsen, the Norway international now turns out for Norwegian sports broadcaster, TV2, as well as representing his old club in an ambassadorial capacity.

The man synonymous with a bald head, and uncompromising approach to defending, Jaap Stam retired in 2007 after a season back in the Netherlands with Ajax. The iconic central defender very much remains involved in the game, albeit in a managerial post, having taken charge of sides like Reading, Feyernoord, and most recently, FC Cincinnati.

Roy Keane will be able to attest, that his fellow Corkman Dennis Irwin was one of the very finest left-backs to have played the game. The steadfast model professional, Irwin now finds himself dabbling in media duties, with regular appearances on MUTV and RTE in Ireland.

One of the most distinguished United players of all time, Ryan Giggs has a halo of controversy following him around wherever he goes. After hanging up his boots aged 40, the Welsh star served briefly as Man United’s caretaker boss, before becoming Wales manager in 2018, although this came to a premature end with the part owner of Salford City accused of assaulting his ex-girlfriend and facing prosecution.

Aside from banking millions from ambassadorial roles as part of the Qatar World Cup, David Beckham’s philanthropic practices have undeniably aided millions with his partnership with UNICEF. Alongside his charitable donations, the Spice Boy became a co-owner of Salford City with the Class of 92, and in 2020 another six-year-long project came to fruition, when his co-owned side, Inter Miami CF, finally made their MLS debut.

Calling it a day on his playing career in 2011, Nicky Butt assumed a coaching role in the Manchester United youth set-up, being appointed Head of the Academy in 2016. He has since filled in as interim boss for the United under-23s side, as well as being assistant to Giggs and head of first-team development under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. He is also a co-owner of Salford City.

Starting as left-midfield at the Camp Nou on that famous night in 1999, Jesper Blomqvist made way for game-changer Teddy Sheringham. Calling it quits in 2010, the Swedish international has since worked on TV4 covering football in his native Sweden.

Forwards: Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole

Ending his stint as a professional footballer at Sunderland in 2009, the Trinidad and Tobagonian Dwight Yorke has featured heavily as a pundit, as well as taking on an ambassadorial position with Man United. In 2022, the striker went backpacking, becoming the new boss of Australian-based Macarthur FC, unfortunately, during his travels he did not find himself, and subsequently left in 2023.

Since retiring in 2010, Andy Cole’s life has been somewhat tumultuous due to issues with health and public image. Having suffered kidney failure, the goalscorer underwent a transplant in 2014. Just two years after his medical ordeal, the striker’s financial dealings were leaked in the Panama Papers. Misfortune aside, Cole has been a prominent charitable donor.

Substitutes: Raimond van der Gouw, David May, Phil Neville, Wes Brown, Jonathan Greening, Teddy Sheringham, and Ole Gunnar Solskjær

With two of United’s most influential players, Roy Keane and Paul Scholes, going into the final suspended, Jonathan Greening was promoted to the bench. Greening retired from the game in 2017 and is currently the manager at Scarborough Athletic in the sixth-tier of English football.

Phil Neville and Ole Gunnar Solskjær both embarked on relatively unsuccessful stints in management of the England Women’s team and Manchester United respectively. Neville is currently head coach of Inter Miami in the MLS.

Wes Brown was recently declared bankrupt and is reportedly renting a house from United starlet, Marcus Rashford. While Teddy Sheringham has undertaken various managerial positions, including at Stevenage, and has even had time to become a prominent figure on the world poker scene.

David May has doubled up as a wine importer and part-time host on MUTV.

Now 60, Raimond van der Gouw has had a number of jobs as a goalkeeping coach, namely at Sunderland, Vitesse, and PSV.

Following the conclusion of an illustrious 14-year career at Bayern Munich, former German No.1 Oliver Kahn turned his dexterous hands from shot-stopping to the art of TV presenting and punditry. In 2019, Kahn was elected to join the executive board at Bayern, before being made the club’s CEO in 2021.

Defenders: Lothar Matthäus, Markus Babbel, Thomas Linke, Thomas Kuffour, and Michael Tarnat

World Cup-winning Captain, Lothar Matthäus, started the game in Barcelona in 1999 as the oldest player on the pitch at 38 years old. Now 62, the 1990 Ballon d’Or winner remains the most capped German player of all time. Retiring in 2000, Matthäus’ reputation preceded him, becoming the manager of Rapid Vienna, before taking over at the likes of Partizan, Hungary, and Bulgaria. Throwing the managerial towel in, in 2011, the legendary midfielder has since been working as a pundit for an assortment of broadcasters.

A name familiar to both Liverpool and Blackburn fans, Markus Babbel has been operating on the managerial circuit for the last decade. Predominantly finding work in the Bundesliga with sides such as VFB Stuttgart, Hertha Berlin, and Hoffenheim, before immigrating to Australia for a two-year spell with West Sydney Wanderers.

Finishing out his playing days turning out for Bayern Munich II, defender Thomas Linke has seemingly disappeared from the public eye after periods as Sporting Director at RB Salzburg and FC Ingolstadt.

One of the youngest members of the Bayern squad that lost in Barcelona, Ghanaian, Thomas Kuffour, followed the well-trodden path into football punditry and then enrolled in a management and advisory role for the Ghana National Team.

After a six-year stretch in Munich, left-back Michael Tarnat travelled west for a year in the Premier League with Manchester City. Now the head coach of the Bayern Munich’s youth system, the defender will be seeking to nurture the talents of tomorrow.

The ever-scandalous Stefan Effenberg had a notoriously troublesome tongue. The talented midfielder enjoyed a short interval in management with SC Paderborn and KFC Uerdingen, with the latter having no correlation with the fast food outlet.

A man renowned for reading from the Morten Gamst Pedersen playbook of only scoring screamers, one can only speculate what Jens Jeremies is up to these days aside from working for a consultancy firm.

Forwards: Mario Basler, Alexander Zickler, and Carsten Jancker

It was Mario Basler’s goal that put Bayern in front and kept them there until Solskjær’s equaliser in the 91st minute. From 2004 to 2016, the forward managed a string of German lower-tier clubs.

Having started his football journey at Dynamo Dresden, Alexander Zickler would go on to make over 220 appearances for Bayern. Since 2012, Zickler has gone through a series of assistant manager appointments and is presently at RB Leipzig.

The towering, East German target man Carsten Jancker stepped away from the professional game at 34 years of age in 2009. As of 2021, Jancker has been the manager of the Austrian side, DSV Leoben.

Substitutes: Bernd Dreher, Thomas Helmer, Mehmet Scholl, Thomas Strunz, Thorsten Fink, and Hasan Salihamidžić

From 1996 onwards, Bernd Dreher spent the latter stages of his career as second choice keeper behind Kahn. Retiring in 2008, the big German has been a keeper coach at various clubs, including Bayern and Schalke.

While Thomas Helmer has opted for a post-retirement career in football punditry, Mehmet Scholl has been excelling as a nine-pin bowler.

Thomas Strunz and Thorsten Fink both explored football management, with Strunz being appointed General Manager at Wolfsburg in 2005 and Fink choosing management, with the likes of RB Salzburg, Austria Vienna, and Basel on his CV. Hasan Salihamidžić retired in 2012 after a short spell at Wolfsburg, he has since flicked between punditry and administrative roles at Bayern, and in 2017 was appointed Bayern’s sporting director.

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