OGS: The ‘99 Celebration Did His Knee
Sun: IT was the most memorable goal in Manchester United’s glorious history.
It was also the split-second that eventually led to a heartbreaking exit for the man the United faithful call Legend.
When Ole Gunnar Solskjaer went sliding towards the delirious fans in the Nou Camp stadium on that unforgettable May night in 1999, there was no hint of the road which lay ahead.
Yet over the ensuing years, the striker, 34, who hit 126 goals in 366 games for the Reds, was to look back on that moment with the ultimate in mixed feelings.
Solskjaer never publicly admitted the repercussions of that famous sliding celebration following his instinctive prodded European Cup winner against Bayern Munich.
But privately he has told team-mates past and present it was the time he first felt pain in the knee that has now forced him to retire.
The Baby-faced Assassin confirmed he is quitting the game yesterday, as exclusively revealed by SunSport. And the moment his problems began can be traced back to that heady night.
The following season, Solskjaer started just 15 league games and his battles with various knee problems then just grew fiercer.
Yesterday, after just 18 league starts in four years, one of the Reds’ deadliest finishers of the modern era retired.
But even in the long months he was injured, United fans still bellowed out his name — and that, reckons former team-mate David May, says it all about how much the Old Trafford faithful loved Ole.
May spent 81 minutes with Solskjaer on the bench at the Nou Camp that night before boss Alex Ferguson threw him on with the words: “Get us a goal, Ole”.
The rest is history. But Solskjaer has never been one to crow about his achievements — and it was the same after that night in Barcelona.
May revealed: “That’s the great thing about Ole. He never once let it go to his head and has always remained such a really nice guy.
“If you’ve scored the winner in the European Cup final it would be easy to become a bit arrogant, so it says a lot about Ole that he never changed.
“He’d go out there, score and was just happy to have done his job. It was the same after that goal against Bayern.
“He’s the nicest bloke I ever met in football. He ranks up there with Eric Cantona and the fans certainly think so. Even when he was out, they never stopped singing his name, the same as they do with Eric. That’s what he means to them.
“The banner above the Stretford End that says ‘Legend’ sums up his place up in United’s history.
“He was blessed with something money can’t buy. He is one of the greats in every way.”
SUN Doctor Carol Cooper said: “I wouldn’t advise anyone celebrate like that. Never put weight on the joint when it’s bent back beyond 90 degrees.
“He probably wouldn’t have felt any pain at the time as he was full of adrenalin after scoring.”
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Sun: ALEX FERGUSON today paid tribute to retiring ace Ole Solskjaer.
The Manchester United boss will always be in debt to the striker, who scored the winner in the Champions League final in 1999.
And Fergie has paid an emotional farewell to one of his greatest ever signings, who will become an ambassador for the club.
He said: “Ending your playing career is a sad day for anyone.
“In the case of Ole, he has 11 fantastic years he can look back on. Ole has achieved everything a player could ever wish to achieve.
“He has been a great servant to the club and has always remained a model professional in his responsibility as a player, in his demeanour and his manners have always been.”
Solskjaer himself admitted that he will always cherish the memories from his time at Old Trafford.
He said: “I would like to thank the manager, the coaching and medical staff and most of all the supporters, who have supported me through my career.
“They have been fantastic and were a real inspiration to me when I was out injured.
“The support the fans and the staff showed me during that time was the main motivation for me making my comeback.
“I feel proud to have represented Manchester United for 11 years and have some very special memories.”
