• Rewind to 1998

United's coming of age in Barcelona set scene for historic treble

Rivaldo shone in Manchester United's 3-3 draw at Camp Nou in 1998, as did Paul Scholes and Roy Keane © Ross Kinnaird/Allsport

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For several years after its birth the Champions League had faced resentment for moving away from the European Cup format, but in 1998 the competition was to finally capture the imagination, in no small part due to two electrifying 3-3 group stage draws between Manchester United and Barcelona, 15 years ago this week. "We drew twice with Barcelona but anybody who infers a general dullness from those results couldn't be more wrong," writes Sir Alex Ferguson in his first autobiography, Managing My Life.

In particular, the encounter in Catalunya set aside doubts that English teams could win the Champions League. The Premier League was coming of age in the sixth season of its existence. "Our scoring feats in the Champions League excited Europe," recalls Ferguson. "The two draws might not be cited in any coaching manual dealing with defensive play but their openness and positive spirit made for wonderful entertainment."

The seeds for that showdown at Camp Nou were sewn four years previously. The European Cup had switched formats in 1994, and United were thrown in at the deep end in the newly-introduced group phase. On October 19, 1994, United more than held their own against Barcelona in a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford. "It was a match we should have won convincingly and I think we would have done so but for two instances of loss of concentration and discipline," recalls Ferguson. "I keep harping on to our lads about how imperative total concentration is in European games. Disciplined adherence to a game-plan is the most important advantage continental teams tend to have over us. We undersell ourselves when we attribute our failures against them to inferior ability."

Manchester United lost 4-0 in Barcelona in 1994 © David Rogers/ALLSPORT

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United's first Champions League visit to Camp Nou on November 2, 1994 ended in a 4-0 drubbing by a side featuring Hristo Stoichkov and Romario. That United team were certainly no slouches - they were the first ever Premier League champions in 1993 and did the double a year later. Three years after besting them in the European Cup Winners' Cup final, United were ripped apart by Johan Cruyff's side, and duly ripped up by Ferguson.

Although considered United's midfield general in that double-winning triumph of 1994, Paul Ince's performance went a long way to sealing his £7.5 million exit for Internazionale in the summer. "We were swamped. Barcelona were far cuter and more patient in their tactics," writes Ferguson. "I sensed Paul no longer wanted to be the anchorman in midfield, where there was none better. He now saw himself as an attacking midfield player, a hopeless misreading of his strengths. He refused to embrace reality. His blurred interpretation of his function did contribute appreciably to our nightmare." Step forward the 'Class of 92'.

The next time United and Barcelona would meet, Ferguson had constructed an almost entirely new team, built around his once-in-a-generation group of young academy starlets who triumphed in the 1992 FA Youth Cup, and bolstered by the signings of Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke up front. They helped United retain their league crown in 1997, although were pipped by Arsenal a year later. Their greatest feat was to come in the 1998-99 season when they would win the treble, and it was another pair of Champions League group stage showdowns with Barcelona that would give a glimpse of what was to come.

Pitched into the so-called 'Group of Death' with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Brondby, United came out swinging. In September's group opener against Barca at Old Trafford, Ryan Giggs, David Beckham and Paul Scholes scored United's goals in a 3-3 draw, while Nicky Butt was sent off - the Class of 92 certainly had an impact. The encounter also heralded the arrival on the European stage of another future star of the game - Xavi made his Champions League debut, playing in place of Barca's injured midfielder, a certain Pep Guardiola.

How they lined up

Sir Alex Ferguson stuck to his 4-4-2 formation © Ross Kinnaird/Allsport

• Barcelona (3-5-2): Hesp, Reiziger, Okunowo, Sergi, Figo, Celades, Xavi, Giovanni, Zenden, Rivaldo, Anderson
• Manchester United (4-4-2): Schmeichel, G Neville, Stam, Brown, Irwin, Beckham (Butt 80), Keane, Scholes, Blomqvist, Cole, Yorke

The 'rematch', as it were, came two months later, and managed to top the first course. "I recalled our 4-0 defeat in the Camp Nou in 1994, and set against this background it would have been understandable if we had gone to Spain to make sure we didn't lose. But I always had this wonderful dream of having a team ready to attack and beat them," says Ferguson. "I was thrilled by the drive and ebullience of our display." Not many teams - then or now - would go there and play 4-4-2, but they might if they had Roy Keane and Paul Scholes in their prime. The duo were immense in midfield.

"It was one of the best games I've seen," says United We Stand editor Andy Mitten. "I'd watched United get destroyed in Camp Nou in 1994 and shared Ferguson's belief that it would be great to see United go there one day and attack. They did that alright. Buoyed by the 3-3 at home, Ferguson had the tools capable of fulfilling his desires.

"Barcelona were the favourites for the Champions League that year too. Luis Figo and Rivaldo were in their prime. The final was set to be staged at Camp Nou, in the club's centenary year as well. Barca's stars were aligned."

United suffered a catastrophic start with Sonny Anderson giving Barca the lead inside a minute. However the visitors responded from their first threat on goal, Jesper Blomqvist finding Dwight Yorke who drilled home. Schmeichel then pulled off a remarkable double save to keep the scores level, getting his palms to Luis Figo's effort from the edge of the box before punching the ball away from Anderson who was ready to pounce as it dropped his way.

But eight minutes after the restart, Cole and Yorke linked up at their deadly best. Yorke. Cole. Yorke. Goal. "The combination between Cole and Yorke was out of this world," stated Clive Tyldesley, commentating for ITV. Cole capped off an incisive piece of play by slotting the ball into the bottom left corner. "In Barcelona, Yorke and Cole proved what a deadly partnership they could be," Ferguson writes. "They are soulmates off the field and, on it, Dwight's alertness and subtlety provide opportunities for Andy to exploit his pace and his predator's instincts." They would go on to score 53 goals between them that season. "It was the first time, I think, that most people outside England saw the quality of the Yorke-Cole combination," says Mitten.

He adds: "I was fortunate to be at Camp Nou as a young, rookie journalist, where I found myself sitting next to the legendary sportswriter Hugh McIlvanney in the press box. He was working with Ferguson on his 1999 autobiography and kept purring, 'Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant'."

Rivaldo put Barca level with a deflected free kick, but United hit back. Scholes found Keane, who nudged the ball to Beckham, who whipped a trademark cross to the near post where Yorke arrived to head in, having fluffed an almost identical chance moments before. United led for a third time at Camp Nou.

Rivaldo was not done however, rising with his back to goal to control Sergi's cross with his chest and tee himself up for a spectacular overhead kick. Schmeichel could only watch the ball nestle into his net, stumbling backwards and putting his hands on his hips. Rivaldo picked the ball out of the net - he clearly wasn't done. He almost stole the match too, cracking the crossbar from long range before pulling off an audacious backheel flick to tee up Giovanni, who was stopped by a smart save from the onrushing Schmeichel.

What happened next?

Manchester United went on the win the Champions League in 1999 © Getty Images

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Of course, United were not done with Camp Nou that season - they would contest an even more dramatic match there in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich, scoring two injury-time goals through substitutes Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to win 2-1.

"It was a hugely important game on the way to the treble," says Mitten of the 3-3 draw in Catalunya. "It showed that United could go toe to toe with the best on their turf. And when it came to the final, it wasn't like that team hadn't played at Camp Nou before."

United's triumph would also light the way for English teams in the Champions League. Six years later, Liverpool triumphed against all odds to come back from 3-0 down at half-time and beat AC Milan in Istanbul to claim their fifth European Cup. Arsenal reached the final a year later, although lost 2-1 to Barcelona after going down to 10 men. Three English teams - United, Chelsea and Liverpool - then reached the semi-finals of the competition for two successive years. In 2008, Ferguson claimed his second Champions League triumph and United's third European Cup against Avram Grant's Chelsea in a dramatic penalty shoot-out in Moscow, after seeing off Barcelona in the semi-finals.

After the 1991 Cup Winners' Cup final, Barcelona president Josep Nunez had cited a number of kids playing for Barca B who would be the future - among them Guardiola. Johan Cruyff was sacked in 1996, and with him went (briefly) the model of growing Barcelona players from within. Guardiola helped reinstall that approach. He would go on to deny Sir Alex Ferguson two more European Cups in 2009 and 2011, which would have drawn United level with Liverpool, but more immediately he played his part in that devastating 4-0 win at Camp Nou. Indeed, the history of Barcelona against Manchester United is quite the tapestry of the future reflecting the past and the past informing the future.

Nick Atkin is an assistant editor at ESPN. He tweets here

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