Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson believes victory in the European Cup Winners' Cup against Barcelona 20 years ago was key to the club's modern golden era.
After winning a first trophy thanks to the FA Cup a year earlier, the European triumph was a key factor in continuing the momentum that would propel the Reds to an unparalleled spell of domestic dominance and two Champions League trophies on foreign soil.
"It was a major step forward," Sir Alex replied to Inside United when asked about the significance of the Cup Winners' Cup success. "There's no doubt about that.
"Sharpey [Lee Sharpe] was coming through, so was Giggsy [Ryan Giggs]. We had Sparky [Mark Hughes] and Choccy [Brian McClair], [Paul] Ince and [Bryan] Robson and, soon after, we bought Paul Parker, Andrei Kanchelskis and Peter Schmeichel.
"Those were fundamental purchases that gave us a really strong group."
