Sir Alex Ferguson is the legendary former Manchester United manager who oversaw incredible success at Old Trafford during his illustrious time in the managerial dugout.
The Manchester United legend is widely regarded as one of the best managers of all time after an unbelievable managerial career in both Scotland and England.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is among the legendary footballing figures to have praised the incredible brilliance of Sir Alex Ferguson.
But who is Ferguson? What was the United legend’s life like while he was in the Old Trafford hot seat, as well as in the aftermath of his managerial career?
Here is everything United fans need to know about the iconic Scotsman, including his horses, wife, children, trophy haul and four “world-class” players at the Red Devils.
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Why did Sir Alex Ferguson leave Man Utd?
Sir Alex Ferguson left Manchester United after he made his decision to retire from football management.
When did Ferguson retire from Man Utd?
Ferguson retired at the end of the 2012-13 Premier League season.
He stepped down as Manchester United manager after leading the Red Devils to their last Premier League title in 2013.
How long was Ferguson manager of Man Utd?
Ferguson was the manager of Manchester United for 26 years.
How old is Sir Alex Ferguson?
Sir Alex Ferguson is currently 82 years old.
The former Manchester United manager will turn 83 on 31st December 2024.
How many trophies has Sir Alex Ferguson won for Man Utd?
During his time at Old Trafford, Ferguson won a total of 38 trophies as Manchester United manager.
What trophies did Ferguson win with Manchester United?
Ferguson’s trophy haul at Manchester United included 13 Premier League titles, two Champions League trophies, five FA Cups and four League Cups.
The former United manager lifted 10 Community Shields, a European Cup Winners’ Cup, a European Super Cup and an Intercontinental Cup, too.
United also won the FIFA Club World Cup in 2008 under Ferguson, who had previously secured his second Champions League title at the club.
How many Champions League finals was Ferguson in?
During his time at Old Trafford, Ferguson led Manchester United to four Champions League finals.
United completed their iconic treble in 1999 after the Red Devils defeated Bayern Munich in a famous 2-1 comeback win at the Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain.
Ferguson’s second Champions League final came in 2008, which culminated with the Red Devils’ thrilling penalty shootout win over Chelsea in Moscow, Russia.
The ex-United boss reached the Champions League final in 2009 and 2011, only to fall short to Barcelona – managed by Pep Guardiola at the time – on both occasions.
What teams has Sir Alex Ferguson managed?
Ferguson managed five teams in total across his legendary career.
He started off his managerial career at Scottish side East Stirlingshire in 1974, with Ferguson later managing St Mirren in Scotland from 1974 to 1978.
After his success at St Mirren, Ferguson took charge of Aberdeen in 1978 and managed the Scottish side during a successful spell until 1986.
In the case of Scotland, the Manchester United legend managed his native homeland from 1985 to 1986 after former manager Jock Stein tragically passed away.
Ferguson’s final club was none other than United, with the Scotsman arriving at Old Trafford in 1986 before his emotional departure in 2013.
Who was the Man Utd manager before Ferguson?
Former Manchester United manager Ron Atkinson was in charge at Old Trafford before he was sacked from the Red Devils in 1986.
Sir Alex Ferguson left Aberdeen in 1986 and succeeded Ron Atkinson as United manager.
What height is Sir Alex Ferguson?
Ferguson is believed to be 1.80m, which would make the former Manchester United manager 5ft 11in.
Do David Beckham and Sir Alex Ferguson speak?
David Beckham and Ferguson are on speaking terms.
Despite the pair’s involvement in the infamous boot incident at Manchester United in 2003, Beckham and Ferguson have repaired their fractured relationship.
Beckham has spoken highly of Ferguson in the past and the 48-year-old United legend saw the former Red Devils manager as a father figure when he was a player.
Who is Sir Alex Ferguson’s wife?
Sir Alex Ferguson’s wife was Lady Cathy Ferguson, whom he had met in 1964 when he was only 23 years old.
The former Manchester United manager married Lady Cathy in 1966 and had a special relationship with her.
How old is Ferguson’s wife?
Lady Cathy Ferguson is no longer alive. Sir Alex Ferguson’s wife was 84 years old at the time of her passing in 2023.
Does Sir Alex Ferguson have children?
Sir Alex Ferguson has had three children, all from his marriage to Lady Cathy Ferguson. All three children are sons.
Mark Ferguson was born in 1968 before twin brothers Darren Ferguson and Jason Ferguson arrived in 1972.
Is Darren Ferguson Sir Alex’s son?
Darren Ferguson is Sir Alex’s son and he played under his father at Manchester United.
The 52-year-old Scotsman is currently the manager of Peterborough United, with Darren in his third spell at the League One side.
Is Ferguson on the Man Utd board?
According to the official LinkedIn page of Ferguson, the former Manchester United manager is on the club’s board.
Ferguson has held the role of director since May 2013, which came at the time of his managerial retirement from football.
When did Ferguson become a Sir?
Ferguson became a ‘Sir’ in 1999 after he was named on former Queen Elizabeth II’s Birthday Honours list.
Why is Ferguson called Sir?
Ferguson was awarded his knighthood after he led Manchester United to a continental treble in 1999.
United were the first English team in history to capture the Premier League title, a Champions League trophy and an FA Cup in the same season.
Manchester City, under current manager Pep Guardiola, in 2023 became only the second English team in history to complete a continental treble in football.
READ MORE: Sir Alex Ferguson never shouted at one Man Utd legend and it baffled one of his former players
Is there a documentary on Ferguson?
One documentary film on the former Manchester United manager is called Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In, which was released in the UK in 2021.
The aforementioned Ferguson documentary can be accessed on Amazon Prime Video.
What are Sir Alex Ferguson’s horses called?
Sir Alex Ferguson has six horses, which are called Protektorat, Hitman, L’Eau Du Sud, Sonigino, Monmiral and Il Ridoto.
The aforementioned six horses were in action at the Cheltenham Festival 2024, which was held from 12th March to 15th March.
The former Manchester United manager has become actively involved in horse racing since his retirement from football.
Who were the captains under Ferguson?
Ferguson had six captains during his managerial spell at Manchester United.
Bryan Robson, who is United’s longest-serving captain, was club skipper when Ferguson arrived at Old Trafford and retained the armband under the Scotsman.
The other five United legends to hold the captain’s armband under Ferguson were Steve Bruce, Eric Cantona, Roy Keane, Gary Neville and Nemanja Vidic.
When was the Sir Alex Ferguson stand opened?
The Sir Alex Ferguson Stand was formerly the North Stand before it was named after the legendary former Manchester United manager.
United renamed the North Stand to the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand in 2011.
Where is the Sir Alex Ferguson statue?
There is a Sir Alex Ferguson statue at Aberdeen’s Pittodrie Stadium, which was unveiled in 2022 to honour the former Manchester United manager.
Another statute of Ferguson is at Old Trafford, which was placed outside the Theatre of Dreams in 2011.
What happened between Roy Keane and Sir Alex Ferguson?
Roy Keane was Manchester United captain under Ferguson and was a key midfield figure for the Scotsman at Old Trafford.
However, Ferguson axed Keane from United in 2005 after his relationship with the 52-year-old Irishman fractured.
Keane infamously criticised several former United teammates, including Darren Fletcher and Rio Ferdinand, in a legendary MUTV interview in 2005.
The infamous MUTV interview played its part in the abrupt end to Keane’s career at United, with the former club captain subsequently signing for Scottish side Celtic.
Does Roy Keane like Ferguson?
Roy Keane has not been afraid of pulling any punches towards Ferguson after his shock exit from Old Trafford.
The former Manchester United captain has been highly critical of Ferguson at times in public interviews.
Keane has previously opened up about his departure from United and the ruthless manner in which Ferguson axed him from the Premier League club.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s four world-class players
Ferguson famously claimed that he managed only four “world-class” players during his time at Manchester United.
In his 2015 autobiography, dubbed ‘Leading,’ Ferguson named Eric Cantona, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Cristiano Ronaldo as his only world-class players.
“I don’t mean to demean or criticise any of the great or very good footballers who played for me during my 26-year career at United, but there were only four who were world-class: Cantona, Giggs, Ronaldo and Scholes,” he said.
“And of the four Cristiano was like an ornament on the top of a Christmas tree.”