They proved, emphatically, that you could win virtually everything with kids. They formed the core of the team who mounted what was then the most remarkable comeback in Champions League football.
Class of 92
And now, as they approach their footballing dotage, they are scattered from Madrid to Merseyside. The past was theirs, but the future is, well, someone else's.
In Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Gary and Phil Neville, Manchester United had a golden generation of players. The closest comparison came in an earlier era at Old Trafford; for the Busby Babes, read Fergie's Fledglings.
The problem with teenage prodigies comes when they age. Darren Caskey, captain of an England Under-21 team Beckham struggled to get in, now plies his trade in non-league.
For a generation whose twenties were littered with medals, a 30th birthday was an unwanted landmark. With the infallibility of youth, the Neville brothers, in their seminal (ok, dreadful) diary 'For Club and Country' imagined ageing at Old Trafford with their contemporaries.
After completing a £3.5 million move to Everton, Phil Neville won't do that.
Beckham: first to leave
Nor will Beckham and Butt, the first fledglings to leave Fergie's nest. As Sir Alex Ferguson understands, great managers don't just construct great teams; they break them up, too. Arsene Wenger, on his third Arsenal team, excels at it; Brian Clough, with a double European Cup-winning team, probably did it too soon; Kenny Dalglish didn't do it at all, leading to Graeme Souness' ham-fisted approach at rejuvenating Liverpool.
Beckham was the first, most contentious and most profitable departure. The Londoner had a fondness for the limelight that none of his Mancunian team-mates share. World domination beckoned at Real Madrid, and now he has a loser's medal from the Copa del Rey.
Butt went last year - and, in an unfortunate omen for the three survivors, one long-serving player is being sold every summer - and has already moved on from Newcastle to Birmingham.
Ferguson once said he had received more offers for Butt than any other player, but unless he can recapture his commanding form of 2002, the midfielder appears ill-suited to life away from Old Trafford.
Phil Neville's move into midfield hastened Butt's exit and perhaps his own.
He never fulfilled the promise he showed as a marauding full-back at the Tournoi in France in 1997, but there is still an element of surprise in his sale.
But whereas he became something of a jack of all trades at Manchester United, the £3.5 million man has made a masterful start to his Everton career. Given a pivotal role in David Moyes' team, it is noticeable how vocal he has been. Perhaps there is life after Old Trafford after all.
And what of the trio they left behind? In each case, there is reason to believe that the long-term prognosis may not be good, but Ryan Giggs seems most at risk. After 14 years of distinguished service, United's reluctance to reward him with a long-term contract was telling. Nor did it bode well when Wayne Rooney took his left-wing role in the FA Cup final.
Then there are the ongoing rumours. Was he offered in part-exchange for Michael Owen? Were United ready to sell him to Italian suitors two years ago?
Because, while United have adopted a formation that appears ideal for Giggs, the man Ferguson prised from Manchester City on his 14th birthday finds himself consigned to the bench with increasing regularity.
In one respect, Gary Neville may face a more immediate threat. United have bid for Cicinho, who has emerged as a challenger to Cafu for the right-back spot in the Brazil team. In comparison with the adventurous Brazilian, Neville could appear rather pedestrian. But - alone among his generation - he has improved in the last couple of years.
More short-tempered and outspoken, Neville could not be accused of growing old gracefully, but his leadership qualities suggest his future could lie in the centre of defence. There was always an assumption it did - as long ago as 1998 he subdued Michael Owen playing there - but perhaps the time has finally come to desert the right flank.
In one sense, Paul Scholes' future is clearest. He has signed a new contract until 2009 - not every new deal at Old Trafford involves a four-month hiatus - and should finish his career at United. Once again, however, there is a potential rival; Michael Ballack, reportedly coveted by Ferguson. And like Sven-Goran Eriksson, the more the United manager praises Scholes, the greater the frustration that his finest form proves so elusive.
'The thing about youth is that they don't know any fear,' said Ferguson on Sunday, albeit about the England cricket team. It indicates a greater focus on the generation of Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Darren Fletcher.
The face of the new generation
Their elders managed a combined 38 winners' medals in the Premiership, 2756 games and 387 goals for Manchester United, plus the small matter of 312 caps for England and 51 for Wales.
But nothing lasts forever, as Liverpool's Spice Boys of the mid 90s can testify. Most are now in retirement, two play for Manchester City and Jason McAteer is at Tranmere Rovers.
Culled from Soccernet
And now, as they approach their footballing dotage, they are scattered from Madrid to Merseyside. The past was theirs, but the future is, well, someone else's.
In Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Gary and Phil Neville, Manchester United had a golden generation of players. The closest comparison came in an earlier era at Old Trafford; for the Busby Babes, read Fergie's Fledglings.
The problem with teenage prodigies comes when they age. Darren Caskey, captain of an England Under-21 team Beckham struggled to get in, now plies his trade in non-league.
For a generation whose twenties were littered with medals, a 30th birthday was an unwanted landmark. With the infallibility of youth, the Neville brothers, in their seminal (ok, dreadful) diary 'For Club and Country' imagined ageing at Old Trafford with their contemporaries.
After completing a £3.5 million move to Everton, Phil Neville won't do that.
Nor will Beckham and Butt, the first fledglings to leave Fergie's nest. As Sir Alex Ferguson understands, great managers don't just construct great teams; they break them up, too. Arsene Wenger, on his third Arsenal team, excels at it; Brian Clough, with a double European Cup-winning team, probably did it too soon; Kenny Dalglish didn't do it at all, leading to Graeme Souness' ham-fisted approach at rejuvenating Liverpool.
Beckham was the first, most contentious and most profitable departure. The Londoner had a fondness for the limelight that none of his Mancunian team-mates share. World domination beckoned at Real Madrid, and now he has a loser's medal from the Copa del Rey.
Butt went last year - and, in an unfortunate omen for the three survivors, one long-serving player is being sold every summer - and has already moved on from Newcastle to Birmingham.
Ferguson once said he had received more offers for Butt than any other player, but unless he can recapture his commanding form of 2002, the midfielder appears ill-suited to life away from Old Trafford.
Phil Neville's move into midfield hastened Butt's exit and perhaps his own.
He never fulfilled the promise he showed as a marauding full-back at the Tournoi in France in 1997, but there is still an element of surprise in his sale.
But whereas he became something of a jack of all trades at Manchester United, the £3.5 million man has made a masterful start to his Everton career. Given a pivotal role in David Moyes' team, it is noticeable how vocal he has been. Perhaps there is life after Old Trafford after all.
And what of the trio they left behind? In each case, there is reason to believe that the long-term prognosis may not be good, but Ryan Giggs seems most at risk. After 14 years of distinguished service, United's reluctance to reward him with a long-term contract was telling. Nor did it bode well when Wayne Rooney took his left-wing role in the FA Cup final.
Then there are the ongoing rumours. Was he offered in part-exchange for Michael Owen? Were United ready to sell him to Italian suitors two years ago?
Because, while United have adopted a formation that appears ideal for Giggs, the man Ferguson prised from Manchester City on his 14th birthday finds himself consigned to the bench with increasing regularity.
In one respect, Gary Neville may face a more immediate threat. United have bid for Cicinho, who has emerged as a challenger to Cafu for the right-back spot in the Brazil team. In comparison with the adventurous Brazilian, Neville could appear rather pedestrian. But - alone among his generation - he has improved in the last couple of years.
More short-tempered and outspoken, Neville could not be accused of growing old gracefully, but his leadership qualities suggest his future could lie in the centre of defence. There was always an assumption it did - as long ago as 1998 he subdued Michael Owen playing there - but perhaps the time has finally come to desert the right flank.
In one sense, Paul Scholes' future is clearest. He has signed a new contract until 2009 - not every new deal at Old Trafford involves a four-month hiatus - and should finish his career at United. Once again, however, there is a potential rival; Michael Ballack, reportedly coveted by Ferguson. And like Sven-Goran Eriksson, the more the United manager praises Scholes, the greater the frustration that his finest form proves so elusive.
'The thing about youth is that they don't know any fear,' said Ferguson on Sunday, albeit about the England cricket team. It indicates a greater focus on the generation of Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Darren Fletcher.
Their elders managed a combined 38 winners' medals in the Premiership, 2756 games and 387 goals for Manchester United, plus the small matter of 312 caps for England and 51 for Wales.
But nothing lasts forever, as Liverpool's Spice Boys of the mid 90s can testify. Most are now in retirement, two play for Manchester City and Jason McAteer is at Tranmere Rovers.
Culled from Soccernet
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