Bayern Munich defender Markus Babbel has reflected on the 1999 Champions League final which saw his side agonisingly lose to Manchester United after two stoppage time goals from the English side.
For Babbel, the belief Manchester United showed at Camp Nou on May 26 that evening is something he didn't quite expect - especially not against a German side. Indeed, after Mario Basler had opened the scoring in the sixth minute of the match, Bayern were in control of the game, even hitting the post and bar among many other chances, and looked destined to be lifting the Champions League trophy come the end of the game.
That wasn't to be, though. Reminiscing on the match 25 years on, Babbel highlights how conceding those two late goals stopped him from achieving his ultimate goal of lifting the trophy, but he has since come to terms with the manner of defeat.
'Manchester United were fighting and believing until the end'
“What a final this was," Babbel exclusively tells FourFourTwo. "We had so many chances – at 1-0 up, we had opportunities to make it two, three or four. Then we conceded in the 91st and 93rd minutes. It was unbelievable that we lost, but that’s sport and I’ve come to accept it.
"Manchester United had some suspensions and injuries, so it wasn’t their best team, but we were much better.
"People always say it’s the Germans that never give up, that we’re never beaten. But United did it to us – they were fighting and believing until the end."
But while Babbel would obviously have much preferred a different outcome at Camp Nou that night, he has since come to accept that he at least he managed to play in such a dramatic game on an occasion of that magnitude.
"When the final whistle blew, it was so hard to take, but 25 years later you say, ‘I was part of a fantastic game’. My biggest dream was to win the Champions League and I was so close to doing it. But some people wish they could play in a final like that.”
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