The Grail Files
The file on this jersey is still being written
This is the canonical catalog record for the real madrid 1999-00 home jersey. Its grail file, the story of the season it lived through, lands here soon.
10Flat-lay 4:5
On the record
TeamReal Madrid
Season1999-00
Kit typeHome
ManufacturerAdidas
SponsorTeka
02The season it lived through
Real Madrid 1999-00
Highlights from the season this shirt belongs to, whichever kit was worn on the day.
League 5th5th (62 points; Deportivo La Coruna won the title with 69). Unusually low domestic finish for a European champion, a strong story hook.Champions League Winners
Del Bosque Replaces Toshack
John Toshack lasted barely four months. Sacked in November 1999 despite a win over Rayo Vallecano, he gave way to his assistant Vicente del Bosque, a caretaker appointment that turned into the start of an era.
A Fifth-Place Domestic Collapse
Domestically the season never found its footing: a 5-1 home humiliation against Zaragoza and a 5-2 away defeat at eventual champion Deportivo La Coruna were among the low points as Madrid finished fifth on 62 points, their worst league campaign in years. The squad had been rebuilt that summer, Davor Suker, Predrag Mijatovic and Christian Panucci out, Steve McManaman, Nicolas Anelka, Miguel Salgado, Elvir Baljic and Geremi in, and the new pieces did not always fit. Anelka's season became its own drama: in March 2000 he was suspended by the club after refusing to train amid a rift with del Bosque, and finished with just two league goals.
Redondo's Backheel Fells United
Europe told a different story. Madrid topped their first group, then drew holders Manchester United in the quarterfinals. A goalless first leg at the Bernabeu set up a second leg at Old Trafford that Madrid won 3-2, sealed by a moment of Fernando Redondo brilliance: a 40-yard run down the left and an outrageous backheel through Henning Berg's legs to square for Raul's tap-in.
Anelka's Redemption Against Bayern
In the semifinal, Anelka worked his way back from suspension in time to score in a 2-0 first-leg win over Bayern Munich, and Madrid held on despite a 2-1 second-leg loss in Munich to advance 3-2 on aggregate.
Casillas Lifts an Eighth European Cup
The final at the Stade de France on May 24, 2000 was the first all-Spanish European Cup final, Real Madrid against Valencia. Fernando Morientes headed Madrid ahead, Steve McManaman volleyed a second, and Raul added a third on the break for a 3-0 win and the club's eighth European Cup. Iker Casillas, who had made his Champions League debut that season as an 18-year-old, lifted the trophy just four days after his 19th birthday, becoming the youngest goalkeeper ever to play in and win a European Cup final. A season that flopped at home ended with del Bosque's first trophy and the foundation of a Champions League dynasty that would win it again within three years.
Memorable matches
- Real Madrid 3-0 Valenciasource
Real's 8th European Cup at the Stade de France. Morientes 39', McManaman 67' (volley), Raul 75'. McManaman: first English player to win the tournament with a non-English club.
- Real Madrid 3-0 Barcelonasource
El Clasico home win over Barcelona.
- Real Madrid 1-5 Real Zaragozasource
Heavy home defeat that typified an inconsistent domestic campaign despite the European triumph.
Star players
- Raul Gonzalezsource
Top scorer with 17 La Liga goals (29 across all competitions); scored the third in the CL final.
- Steve McManamansource
Scored the volley in the CL final; first English player to win the European Cup with a non-English club.
- Fernando Morientessource
Opened the scoring with a header in the CL final.
Verified against en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, unitedwriting.substack.com, offsiderulepodcast.com.
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