CHAPTER 1 David Beckham top and Dwight Yorke helped lead Manchester United to an amazing season in 1998-99 THE TREBLE 5 Something special began in the early 1990s in Manchester England Talented young players began coming up through Manchester United's youth academy There was versatile midfielder Paul Scholes Then came defender Gary Neville Others included midfielders Nicky Butt Ryan Giggs and David Beckham Soon they were joined by midfielder Phil Neville Gary's younger brother Each player moved on to the senior team Each became a star in his own right And they weren't the only ones Sturdy Danish goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel had joined the team
EUROPEAN SOCCER The European soccer season is broken down into different levels of competition It can be confusing to keep track Here’s a handy guide to help you follow the action League Play The 20 best teams in England play in the Premier League Teams play all league opponents twice each season for 38 total games The three teams with the worst records are relegated or sent down to the second division which sends three teams up to replace them the next season The Premier League debuted in 1992-93 It replaced the Football League First Division 1888 1991 as England’s top league European Play The top four teams in the Premier League qualify for the Union of European Football Associations UEFA Champions League This annual tournament involves the best teams from the top leagues throughout Europe The Champions League started in 1992 It replaced the European Cup a similar tournament that began in 1955 The next three teams in the Premier League qualify for the UEFA Europa League The Europa League is Europe’s second-tier tournament It runs in a similar manner to the Champions League but crowns its own winner The Europa League debuted in 1971 as the UEFA Cup but was renamed in 2009 Domestic Cups Almost every English team is eligible to play for the Football Association Challenge Cup FA Cup The tournament typically includes several hundred teams including the professional teams from the Premier League Founded in 1871-72 the FA Cup is the oldest soccer tournament in the world The League Cup is a similar tournament It involves teams from only the top four divisions in England 6
Roy Keane became United’s captain in 1997 in 1991 Ireland’s Roy Keane came in 1993 The team also added forwards Andy Cole of England and Dwight Yorke from Trinidad and Tobago Both proved to be top goal-scoring threats Manchester United soon emerged as a top threat in the Premier League By the fall of 1998 the team known as the Red Devils was ready to do something special It all came together over a two-week stretch in May 1999 7
