Manchester United fans can soon relive their historic treble win in an all-new documentary series starring the likes of David Beckham, Gary Neville and Sir Alex Ferguson. Launching later this month, 99 is being hailed as the ‘definitive documentary series’ exploring the final days of the club’s 1998/99 campaign.
The documentary features spine-chilling footage from the momentous treble winning season. Along with that, it also features exclusive interviews from Alex Ferguson and the whole of the 1998-99 team, however with the glaring exception of the Manchester United FC club captain Roy Keane. His absence is a noticeable feature, as Keane is one of the most decorated captains of the team. He was a dominating box-to-box midfielder, noted for his aggressive and highly competitive style of play. Not only this, he had also skipped the premiere for the documentary which brought the entire trophy winning team together. Here is why that is:
Why Roy Keane skipped 99 premiere?
A number of stars from the team reunited on the red-carpet last week for the premiere, including Andy Cole and Gary Neville. Gary Neville, Andy Cole and Roy Keane appeared on the Stick to Football podcast. There, Neville first asked Cole how he enjoyed the show to which he replied that he enjoyed it. Then Neville cheekily asked the same question to Keane, who then replied, "I was doing a charity function. I was. Coley knows me better than that.”
Who is Roy Keane?
Roy Keane was the club's first non-British/Irish captain. Roy Keane made 480 appearances with Manchester United and is the most decorated captain in club history, serving from 1997 to 2005. Gary Neville made 602 appearances for Manchester United and served as captain from 2005 to 2011.
Keane was a dominating box-to-box midfielder noted for his aggressive and highly competitive style of play, an attitude that helped him excel as captain of Manchester United.
There is also a well-documented feud between Cole and fellow treble winner Teddy Sheringham in which Keane had to intervene.
Andy Cole & Teddy Sheringham feud:
Cole has previously claimed he never spoke a single word to his striking partner Sheringham during the four years they played together at United. Their feud reportedly started in 1995 during Cole’s England debut against Uruguay. According to the forward, Sheringham refused to shake hands as Cole entered the pitch to replace him. During the series, Cole claims it almost got physical between the pair at one point. After Sheringham had apparently blamed him for conceding a goal, Cole says he “lunged” at his team-mate. However, Keane had got in there first and was already “trying to fight” Sheringham over a separate disagreement. Keane said to Sheringham, 'Why don't you f**k off back to London with your f*****g Ferrari and your penthouse?'
More about 99:
‘99’ is a 3 part series highlighting each of Manchester United’s treble win during the 98/99 season. The team won the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions Leagues trophy across a pivotal 10 days. It features exclusive interviews from the key characters in the story – including David Beckham, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, Peter Schmeichel and Ole Gunnar Solskjær with untold stories from inside the team, revealing the dressing room conflicts, personal struggles and miraculous moments behind the legendary season. The documentary premieres on May 17 on Amazon Prime.