Jakob "Jaap" Stam is a Dutch professional football coach and former player. As a player, he played as a centre-back and is regarded as one of the best defenders of his generation. Stam was part of the Manchester United team that won the Treble of the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League in 1999.

The 1998–99 season was Manchester United's seventh season in the FA Premier League and their 24th consecutive season in the top division of English football. After finishing the previous season without winning any titles, United won the Treble of the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League in 1998–99, the first side in English football to do so. During the campaign, United lost only five times: in the Charity Shield against Arsenal; in the fifth round of the League Cup against eventual winners Tottenham Hotspur; and three times in the league, including their only home loss all season, against Middlesbrough in December 1998. A run of 33 games unbeaten in all competitions began on 26 December at home to Nottingham Forest, whom they also beat 8–1 away from home in February 1999, Manchester United's record away win in the Premier League. The season was characterised by comebacks, particularly in the FA Cup fourth round against Liverpool and the semi-finals of the Champions League against Juventus, but none more so than in the Champions League final, when Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær scored in injury time to overturn Bayern Munich's early lead.