do you remember this Adan mate?
Manchester Utd 4-3 Real Madrid
Van Nistelrooy 42 Ronaldo 12, 50, 59
Helguera (og) 52
Beckham 71, 84
It was the final everyone apparently wanted and a match worthy of any showpiece occasion, an enthralling end-to-end match characterised by outstanding, attacking football. It would, under any other circumstances, go down as a famous win for Manchester United.
That, though, will be of little consolation to Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United as Real Madrid once again ended their Champions League dreams; 1999 is an increasingly distant memory.
Since that night in Barcelona, four years have brought United consistent qualification in the group stages but elimination thereafter, defeats to German opposition bookended by exhibitions of Real class at Old Trafford.
Imperious, even regal at times, Real ditched none of their tricks and scarcely appeared concerned about protecting their 3-1 first leg lead; nonetheless, they were reliant on a string of superb saves from Iker Casillas as United went down attacking.
So Old Trafford will surely be graced again this season by Real; though UEFA appear to write scripts for Manchester United by scheduling Champions League finals in places of such significance to Sir Alex Ferguson as Glasgow and Manchester, Real usurp them.
And Ronaldo, written off in some quarters at Real just weeks ago as he was as a footballer 12 months ago, completed his second comeback in a year. The World Cup winner scored a superb hat-trick to decide the tie if not the game; in a contest of £30 million players, Rio Ferdinand came off distinctly second best.
After a virtuoso strike to complete a trio within an hour, Ronaldo departed to a standing ovation, having shared the stage for just four minutes with perhaps the next in Real\'s galaxy of stars, David Beckham.
Beckham\'s presence on the bench for 63 minutes of United\'s biggest game of the season was as subtle as a Glaswegian kiss from Ferguson; a futile cameo when they needed four goals to win is unlikely to have impressed the England captain.
Nonetheless, a free kick to rank with any in his stellar connection and a close range tap-in may have proved a point - in Madrid if not Manchester. Roy Keane, anonymous and off the pace, was a more deserving candidate for the axe.
Juan Sebastian Veron, recalled in midfield, had a stage to suit his talents and was more influential on his first appearance for seven weeks; however, a Real midfield with Steve McManaman and Guti playing important, if understated roles, were not out-fought.
Predictions that Real\'s defending could prove their undoing had some substance; United\'s, though, was similarly suspect, even if Real\'s sumptuous skills were a mitigating factor for a young back four. John O\'Shea, who nutmegged Luis Figo, at least had something else to show for his evening.
Early optimism, increased by a ferocious Ruud Van Nistelrooy shot, was soon quashed by a trademark strike from Ronaldo as he peeled off his marker, Ferdinand, to meet Guti\'s pass and finish with a first-time strike. But, as with Real\'s opener in the Bernabeu, Fabien Barthez\'s positioning was suspect.
Figo, his tormentor in the first leg, twice almost embarrassed Barthez again, one miscue requring the keeper to back-pedal furiously and a curling cross glancing off the post, pre-empted by a classic Cruyff turn.
Time for United to stand up and be counted: initially, only the excellent Van Nistelrooy and the fearless O\'Shea, did, the latter providing an example for Ryan Giggs as he ran at Michel Salgado with exuberance and enthusiasm.
But Giggs and the opposite winger, Solskjaer, were more prominent as United adopted a shoot-on-sight policy, the Welshman firing just past the post from 20 yards and the Norwegian drawing a fine parry from Iker Casillas.
And they combined for the equaliser, Giggs coming infield to slide a pass to Solskajer who, unselfishly, set up Van Nistelrooy for a tap-in.
Easy finish though it was, such was Van Nistelrooy\'s display that comparisons with Ronaldo did not flatter him.
Only Casillas denied him a second goal in four minutes after a Solskjaer shot had been parried; only the post denied him a second goal of the game later, a long-range thunderbolt fractionally askew.
Zidane\'s slide-rule pass and Roberto Carlos\' unselfish cross gave Ronaldo his second goal but driven on by Van Nistelrooy\'s unquenchable desire, United were level within a minute. The Dutchman found Juan Sebastian Veron and aimed to meet the Argentinian\'s cross-shot when Ivan Helguera provided the finish instead, with a backheel; this is, after all, Real Madrid.
It was frantic and fantastic, Casillas making invaluable saves from a Solskjaer shot and Veron volley\'s volley before Ronaldo took aim to complete a memorable trio.
Enter Beckham to belatedly make his case; the quality of his free kick matched by the desire to reach Hierro\'s poor touch to spare a second Real defender an own goal and double his tally, even if Van Nistelrooy, for a solo run and shimmy, deserved the credit more than either.
And even in defeat, to Real the plaudits for their laudable refusal to change their gameplan for even the toughest away games; that Figo was replaced by a defender in United\'s frantic finish was a moral victory, but they still fell two goals short of an aggregate triumph.
All this and the man Sir Alex Ferguson rates the best footballer in the world - Raul - did not even play. Ronaldo\'s advocates may disagree, but though it was not a night on which Ferguson\'s judgement was vindicated, that is testament to the supremacy of Real Madrid.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Ronaldo (Real Madrid) - Alex Ferguson felt he occupied three Manchester United defenders at the Bernabeu; he added three goals for more tangible evidence of his impact in the second leg.
Man Utd: Barthez, O\'Shea, Ferdinand, Brown, Silvestre (Phil Neville 79), Veron (Beckham 63), Butt, Keane (Fortune 82), van Nistelrooy, Giggs, Solskjaer.
Subs Not Used: Ricardo, Blanc, Forlan, Fletcher.
Booked: Veron, Fortune.
Real Madrid: Casillas, Salgado, Hierro, Helguera, Carlos, Zidane, McManaman (Portillo 69), Figo (Pavon 88), Makelele, Ronaldo (Solari 67), Guti.
Subs Not Used: Cesar, Morientes, Flavio, Cambiasso.
Booked: Figo.
Att: 66,708
Ref: Pierluigi Collina (Italy).
