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BARCELONA, May 27 (Reuters) - Manchester United have set glittering new standards that few clubs could ever hope to equal by clinching the European Cup and winning an incredible treble of honours.
And no team, surely, will ever match the style of United's success with two goals securing victory in the final minute of the last match of the season.
Their 2-1 win over Bayern Munich in Wednesday's astonishing European Cup final in the Nou Camp stadium meant they became only the fourth side in history to win both their domestic league and cup competitions and Europe's premier club tournament in the same season.
Only Celtic (1967), Ajax Amsterdam (1972) and PSV Eindhoven (1988) have ever done that, but the English league is far, far tougher to win than the Scottish or Dutch.
In England, United are now in a league of their own having won three cup and league doubles in six seasons since 1994. A measure of the achievement is to remember that until 1994, the feat had only been achieved five times in 105 years of league soccer - and only three times this century, by Tottenham Hotspur (1961), Arsenal (1971) and Liverpool (1986).
Now that United have finally lifted the burden of a 31-year wait to emulate Sir Matt Busby's 1968 European Cup winning side, there is no telling how far they can go.
Of 62 competitive games this season, United won 36, drew 22 and lost only four - three matches in the league to Arsenal, Sheffield Wednesday and Middlesbrough, and one in the English League Cup when they fielded a largely reserve team and lost to Spurs.
In all matches they scored 128 goals, conceding 60. Wednesday's victory was their 33rd game without defeat - a run that began after they lost 3-2 at Old Trafford to Middlesbrough on December 19 - their only home setback of the season.
They remained unbeaten in all 13 European matches, winning six and drawing seven and their 31 European goals put them joint-level second in the all-time scoring list in a season, behind AC Milan who notched 33 in 1962-63.
The soccer that produced those startling figures has at times been glorious to watch and although some questions still remain about the way the defence works and the profligacy of the attack, there can be no arguments over their will-to-win, self-belief and team spirit.
Wednesday's last-gasp win was not the first time this season they have scored late goals to save what appeared to hopeless situations.
On January 24 they were losing 1-0 at home to Liverpool in an FA Cup fourth round tie with two minutes to go. Two goals in the last two minutes from Dwight Yorke and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer gave them a 2-1 win and kept them on the path to Wembley.
On April 7 they were losing 1-0 at home to Juventus in the first leg of the European Cup semifinal, when, with a minute to go, Ryan Giggs equalised to give them hope in the return in Turin.
That second leg match started terribly for United who were 2-0 down after only 11 minutes and facing certain elimination. But they won 3-2 to clinch a place in the final.
It was that same determination that brought them victory against Arsenal in England's match of the season - the FA Cup Semi Final replay - at Villa Park on April 14. Despite having skipper Roy Keane sent off, United overcame that with an outstanding winning goal from Giggs in extra time - and a Peter Schmeichel penalty save from Dennis Bergkamp with almost the last kick of normal time.
There have been great English teams in the past who have re-written the record books and set new standards of excellence - Wolves in the 1950s, Tottenham in the early 1960s, Liverpool in the 1970s and early 1980s.
But, without doubt, United are the team of the century - in the last year of the century. Perfect timing - just as it has been all season for Ferguson's all-conquering heroes.
