Although yesterday evening was sprinkled with the stuff of fairytales, the astonishing and thrilling manner of Manchester United's triumph just underpinned that singular quality that sets them apart.
They are a bunch of individuals who simply have no sense of when they are beaten. They have developed a mental resolve, a self-belief so resolute that I think they even bewilder their own manager at times.
Alex Ferguson readily conceded in the minutes after the final whistle that by the last two minutes he was bracing himself for the loss. His players just kept pushing and pushing and, ultimately, Bayern Munich simply ran out of legs. It was reminiscent of Liverpool's FA Cup collapse against United, although obviously on a much larger scale.
To be present in the Nou Camp stadium last night was to witness one of those rare and scarcely describable times when sport takes on a magical aspect. I honestly had a feeling that United would come through, it just seemed to be written in the stars, what with Matt Busby's birthday coinciding with the event and a host of small incidental things which just made you think, well perhaps.
The scenes afterwards were unforgettable, just the utter contrast between the stunned silence in the Bayern section and the rapturous reaction of the Manchester support. It must have been hard to stomach for the Munich players and they were visibly shocked and while the natural inclination was to feel sympathy for them, the cold truth is that football is littered with hard luck stories. In a year's time, no one will remember that Scholl and Jancker hit the post. Those who analyse the match from the German team's perspective could well hold the opinion that they were desperately unlucky and, yes, they might have sewn the game up. Manchester United didn't play well over the 90 minutes, they did seem brittle through the centre on occasions but the bottom line is that it doesn't mater.
European finals aren't stages for individuals to go out and embellish reputations, they are games for teams to consolidate their place in history. Collectively, Manchester United did that.
Ferguson took a bold gamble in opting for Jesper Blomqvist on the wing and obviously it didn't really come off, but it didn't exactly backfire either.
There were eyebrows raised at the selection of David Beckham at central midfield but as it transpired his was the single most important influence on the match. I felt he was peerless in terms of his tireless running, his persistent involvement, his availability to take ball from team-mates and his general dictating of play. Last night, he established himself as a genuine world player, a guy who can ply his skills at any level. You run through the United selection and it's easy to isolate moments of individual flaws. Schmeichel was edgy early on and had the strength of character to overcome that and whip out a few crucial saves, Butt was not quite as involved as he might have been and Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke have enjoyed more lucrative evenings. But why pick holes?
And it wasn't as though they made the task easy for themselves. Basler's sixth minute goal was a severe setback. It's never nice to concede a goal from a set-piece and from our perspective, right on the halfway line, it seemed as though Schmeichel had positioned himself in no man's land. It was a cleverly executed free-kick, with the spare man peeling from the wall but it was hardly startingly innovative and one would have thought that a 'keeper of Schmeichel's experience and guile would have ensured that he had that angle covered. Once they fell behind, it was natural that United would throw more into it but I thought Ferguson showed fine restraint in not tinkering with the team structure before half-time and that his patience and sense of calm inevitably filtered down to the team. They never veered from their own style of game, never lost faith in the passing style which got them this far and as always, they looked dangerous when zipping in those ferocious crosses - courtesy of Giggs this time, as opposed to Beckham.
And even though Munich did rap the woodwork twice there was a sense in the stadium that the chances would fall for them. Ferguson again displayed his Midas touch when it comes to substitutes.
To introduce one substitute who nails a goal is admirable but for both your men to hit the target is just outrageous. They were typical strikers' goal, sharp, pragmatic, based on alertness - qualities which had been drained from the Bayern defence as time ebbed.
Bayern Munich, well, the slow departure of Lothar Matthaus kind of symbolised their game. Brilliant quality at times but just not enough legs. They never really sparked - maybe Basler on occasion, but sheer work ethic and technical proficiency almost carried them through. The suddenness of that loss must have been galling, it's a night they won't forget but, thing is, they'll be forgotten.
This current generation of Manchester United players have at last laid to rest the ghost of Best and Charlton and Law, that lingering belief that the club's greatness still depended on the hazy footage of that legendary team. This is a bright, new era and for now, the players will go on their holidays and Alex Ferguson will sit and ponder how to copper-fasten his hold on this new era of limitless possibility.
In an interview with Keith Duggan
