- Solskjaer was in talks over Nike boot deal
- Delay meant he wore blacked-out adidas footwear
- Employee was sacked after he scored winner
WHAT HAPPENED? Solskjaer famously came off the bench late on to score United's winner against Bayern Munich in the Champions League final - but he was not wearing a traditional pair of boots. Pictures show the striker, who would go on to manage the Red Devils 20 years after the 1999 showpiece, wearing blacked-out footwear as he netted one of the most dramatic goals in the history of European football.
WHAT THEY SAID: Speaking about the final in the new episode of James Richardson’s Kings of Europe podcast for BT Sport, Solskjaer revealed that he was forced to improvise after a delay in talks with Nike. The Norwegian said: "I was just negotiating a deal, a boot deal with Nike around that time. They never got around to sending the boots and getting the deal done so I played with some old adidas Copa Mundial or World Cups. When the guy [Nike employee] heard in Norway that Man United won and I scored the winning goal, he was looking forward to seeing the picture with Nike boots and they’re blacked out adidas boots! So he got the sack apparently."
AND WHAT'S MORE: As well as discussing how Sir Alex Ferguson made him feel like "the best player in the world" and supporting United's bitter rivals Liverpool as a boy, Solskjaer also opened up on knowing he'd score in the Champions League final. He said: "I was rooming with Jaap Stam: big lad. He was snoring as well so I couldn't sleep in the afternoon. So I remember ringing my best mates, my best man in our wedding, asking him if he was going to watch the game, because something big was going to happen to me. I was only on the bench but you have to make sure that you watch the full game because this is going to be big. But he worked as a nurse so he was going to have a night shift. So, I asked him to get someone to step in for him for an hour so he can watch the full game because it was just one of these mental things that I had this feeling."
STORY IN TWO PHOTOS
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GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE: Solskjaer's 93rd-minute winner sealed an incredible comeback win for Manchester United just moments after fellow super sub, Teddy Sheringham, had drawn Ferguson's side level with Bayern at Camp Nou. The victory completed a historic treble for the Red Devils, who also lifted the Premier League title and the FA Cup in what remains the club's greatest-ever season.
Listen to the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer interview in full in the latest episode of ‘James Richardson’s Kings of Europe’ - the latest podcast from BT Sport Pods out today across major podcast platforms. Every Monday, journalist James Richardson interviews a Champions League winner from the past 30 years, providing unique insights into some of the biggest moments in European football history: btsport.com/pods