Alex Ferguson My Autobiography

players at

Salmon, Peter

Sar, Edwin van der

and Manchester Utd FC

and Roy Keane

2008–09 UEFA Champions League

2010–11 UEFA Champions League

Savage, Robbie

Schmeichel, Peter

relationship with team-mates

retires

talent

view of Ronaldo

Scholes, Paul

and Arsène Wenger

Class of ’92

fined by AF

first XI

going to ground

interest in horses

position

retirement

Robin van Persie

shapes future of Manchester Utd FC

talent

2004 European Cup

2008–09 UEFA Champions League

2010–11 UEFA Champions League

2011–12 UEFA Champions League

2012–13 season

Scotland

Scotland Boys Club

Scottish Football Association (SFA)

Second Board

Shankly, Bill

Sharpe, Lee

Shaw, Angus

Shaw, Bob

Shearer, Alan

Sheffield United FC

Sheringham, Teddy: at Manchester Utd FC

at Tottenham Hotspur FC

Shilton, Peter

Shotbolt, Karen

Sillett, John

Silva, David

Silva, Fábio and Rafael da

Sivebaek, John

Sky

Smalling, Chris

signs to Manchester Utd FC

2010–11 season

2011–12 UEFA Champions League

2012–13 season

Šmicer, Vladimír

Smith, Alan

Smith, Jim

Smith, John

Smith, Sir Roland

Smith, Walter

Solskjaer, Ole Gunnar

Souness, Graeme

Spearing, Jay

Spector, Jonathan

Speedie, David

Sporting Lisbon

Stam, Jaap

Staunton, Steve

Steele, Eric

Stein, Jock

Stiles, Nobby

Stone, Mike

Stretford, Paul

Styles, Rob

Suárez, Luis

Sunderland FC

Sutton, Alan

Swales, Harry

Swansea City FC

Switzer, George

Taibi, Massimo

Taylor, Gordon

Taylor, Graham

Terry, John

Tévez, Carlos: at Man City FC

at Manchester Utd FC

2008–09 UEFA Champions League

Thomas, Michael

Thornley, Ben

Thornton, Bill

Torres, Fernando

Tottenham Hotspur FC

Touré, Kolo

Townsend, Phil

Turner, Graham

Tyldesley, Clive

UEFA Champions League: 1991

1992

1993

1999 5

2001–02

2003

2003–04

2005

2006

2008

2009

2011

2011–12

2012–13

2013

United States of America: AF’s interest in

American Civil War (1861–1865)

Unsworth, David

Valdés, Victor

Valencia, Antonio

2010–11 UEFA Champions League

2011–12 season

Verón, Juan Sebastián

at Manchester Utd FC

and the press

signs to Chelsea

Vidić, Nemanja

as a centre-back

injuries

signs to Manchester Utd FC

2008–09 UEFA Champions League

2011 Community Shield

2011–12 UEFA Champions League

Viduka, Mark

Vieira, Patrick

Villarreal CF

Vitesse Arnhem

Walker, Dan

Walker, David 1

Walker, Jack

Wallace, Jock

Wallwork, Ronnie

Walsh, Andy

Walsh, David

Warnock, Neil

Watford FC

Watkins, Maurice

Watson, Geoff

Webb, Neil

Welbeck, Danny

2011–12 UEFA Champions League

2012–13 season

Wenger, Arsène

and AF

at Arsenal FC

and Robin van Persie

2011–12 Champions League

West Bromwich Albion FC

West Ham FC

Westwater, Jimmy

Whelan, Ronnie

Whelan, Tony

Whitehouse, Brian

Whiteside, Norman

Wigan Athletic FC

Wiley, Alan

Wilkinson, Howard

Wilshere, Jack

Wiltord, Sylvain

Wimbledon FC

Winter, Jeff

Winterburn, Nigel

Wise, Dennis

Wolverhampton Wanderers (Wolves) FC

World Cup see FIFA World Cup

Wrexham FC

Wright, Ian

Xavi

Yeats, Ron

Yorke, Dwight

Young, Ashley

Zabaleta, Pablo

Zola, Gianfranco

I had no idea an Old Trafford stand would be named after me. It was a conspiracy, but one that left me very proud.

Bobby Robson had great charisma. We take turns with the media after a 1981 UEFA Cup tie between my Aberdeen and his Ipswich Town.

My big European breakthrough – Aberdeen beat Real Madrid in the 1983 European Cup Winners’ Cup.

In Gothenburg, Willie Miller lifts our European trophy. Aberdeen beat one of the biggest names in football.

I was assistant Scotland manager alongside Jock Stein. He was touched by genius and I would bombard him with questions about management.

Martin Edwards, the United Chairman, stood by me in the dark days before my first trophy.

Did the 1990 FA Cup final replay win over Crystal Palace save my job as United manager? I reckon I would have survived. On the left is Norman Davies, kit man and close friend, who is sadly no longer with us.

Ryan Giggs was revered by the other United players. Here he floats past Wimbledon’s Warren Barton in his boyish early days.

Paul Scholes was better than Paul Gascoigne. ‘Too small,’ I thought when I first saw him as a lad. Wrong.

The 1992 vintage: coach Eric Harrison with the golden boys who became the heart of a great United Team, (left to right) Giggs, Butt, Beckham, Gary Neville, Phil Neville, Scholes and Terry Cooke.

Eric Cantona could shape games in his own artistic image. His late goal won us the 1996 FA Cup final.

The banter always flowed between Steve Bruce (left) and Gary Pallister. But they were one of the greatest centre-half partnerships.

Peter Schmeichel was a mighty goalkeeper. A battering from Wimbledon’s Crazy Gang soon after his arrival failed to break him.

Never give in. Three–nil down at Spurs in 2001, we fought back to win 5–3. Here Verón has just scored our fourth goal.

David Beckham’s self-confidence never wavered. He was a fit boy and a marvellous striker of the ball.

Champions again, in May 2003. Beckham’s last match for us. David deserves great credit for reviving his career.

The Brazilian Ronaldo was given a standing ovation after his Old Trafford hat-trick for Real Madrid in 2003. United fans know what talent is.

The heart was in for a test on big European nights. Tension gnawed away at us in that 2003 Champions League tie against Real Madrid.

Rio Ferdinand was due to face a hearing for missing a drugs test when Roy Keane offered his support as they left the Old Trafford pitch.

A draconian sentence. Rio is banned for eight months. The club would not abandon him.

Roy Keane took parts of my own character on to the pitch. In his later years injuries made it harder for him to gallop from box to box.

Cristiano Ronaldo worked on every aspect of his game, even heading. Look at him leap in the 2004 FA Cup final win.

Reaching out to our fans. We’ve just beaten Millwall 3–0 in the 2004 FA Cup final and Mikaël Silvestre is with me.

Work hard, play hard. The dressing room after our victory over Millwall. Ronaldo looks so young.

Rivals to the end. Arsène Wenger and I had our fall-outs but there was more to unite than divide us.

Arsène was livid after we stopped Arsenal’s unbeaten 49-match run in October 2004.

Ruud van Nistelrooy opened the scoring as we prevented Arsenal from going 50 games unbeaten. A volcanic day.

Rafa Benítez turned our rivalry personal. I could handle that.

When José Mourinho joined Chelsea I thought: ‘New kid on the block. Confident.’ A new challenge had arrived.

My hero Denis Law and close friend Bobby Robson at a lunch to celebrate my 20th anniversary as United manager. As a player I wanted to be Denis.

Ronaldo was a model student. Carlos Queiroz played an important role in his development.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was a natural finisher. I always saw myself in our strikers.

Fergie Time. I pointed to my watch to strike fear into opponents, who knew we often scored in the last minute.

Michael Carrick strikes in our thrilling 7–1 win over Roma at Old Trafford in 2007. A near perfect display.

The wonder boys, Ronaldo and Rooney, in that 7–1 victory over Roma. Ronaldo scored twice and Rooney once.

Moscow, Roman Abramovich’s home town, was the stage for our 2008 Champions League win over Chelsea. Here, Ryan Giggs tucks away his penalty in sudden-death.

My record in penalty shoot-outs wasn’t good. At first I couldn’t believe we had won when Edwin van der Sar saved from Nicolas Anelka.

The retreat from Moscow. A happy one. Giggs and Ferdinand hold the 2008 Premier League and Champions League trophies on the tarmac in Manchester.

Labour can always count on my support and Tony Blair and Gordon Brown became friends.

The Glazers were supportive from day one. They let me get on with the job. Avram (left), Joel and Bryan joined us at Vale do Lobo in Portugal.

Racing helped me escape the pressures of management. Fellow owner Ged Mason and I celebrate What A Friend’s big win at Aintree.

Ruby Walsh tells me how he guided What A Friend to victory. I always enjoy the company of jockeys.

Out in front. What A Friend leads them home in The Betfred Bowl Chase.

Vidić and Ferdinand were a rock to build a team on. Nemanja has just scored against Inter Milan in the Champions League and Rio is hitching a ride.

Left-backs are like rare birds. But we had one of the best in Patrice Evra, a born winner.

The greatest goal in my time at United was this bicycle kick by Wayne Rooney against Man City in February 2011.

We prepared meticulously for the 2011 Champions League final against Barcelona at Wembley. Plans don’t always work.

The best team I ever faced. The great Barcelona side of 2011.

What better man could you have beside you than Bobby Charlton? He was a loyal and wise friend to me.

It’s not an old bus stop, it’s The Cliff, our training ground until 1999. Scholes and Giggs travel back in time with me.

Lyn Laffin, my indispensable P.A., helps me with the daily mountain of admin.

Daid Gill was the best chief executive I worked with. Straight-talker; knew the game; always loyal.

Read all about it. Phil Townsend, our communications director, talks me through the day’s papers.

Staff numbers increased enormously in my 26½ years at the club. I valued them all. Here I am with the laundry team.

Albert Morgan, kit man, friend and wisecracker, in the Old Trafford changing room, August 2011.

Edwin van der Sar was one of the great goalkeepers of the last 30 years. I should have signed him earlier.

David de Gea, a magnificently athletic young goalkeeper, who grew in stature after joining us from Spain.

The tunnel of love. Making my way to the pitch, Old Trafford, August 2011.

The one-time King of Old Trafford, Eric Cantona, returns for Paul Scholes’s testimonial in the summer of 2011.

Mick Phelan and René Meulensteen were my trusted assistants at the end. I owe all my coaches a great debt.

The indestructibles: Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville.

My 25th anniversary dinner, in November 2011. Some of our foreign players might have been a bit confused by the kilt.

I felt Roberto Mancini was hassling the fourth official too much in this Manchester derby and told him so. A brief skirmish, soon forgotten.

I respected Mancini’s work at City. I saw a few City managers off in my time.

The Hillsborough commemoration at Anfield in September 2012 was brilliantly handled by both clubs. Sir Bobby Charlton and Ian Rush clasp hands.

The press gave me a cake with a hairdryer on as parting gift. I was fierce in news conferences, but there were laughs too.

My successor, though I didn’t know it then. David Moyes brought Everton to our ground in February 2013.

The final ingredient. Robin van Persie’s hat-trick against Aston Villa secured our 2012–13 title win. A great buy.

I still don’t know how David Gill persuaded Cathy to unveil a statue of me. She refused to bow at its feet.

Success gave me control. With each trophy won my thoughts turned to the next one.

When the statue was unveiled I joked: ‘I’ve out-lived death.’ What an honour.

The 2012–13 Premier League trophy is waiting for us out on the pitch at Old Trafford. My work is nearly done.

Special fans, and a special day at Old Trafford in May 2013, as my time as manager draws to an end.

Cathy rarely came to games but she was always there for me. We pose with the Premier League trophy one last time.

Drama to the end. At West Brom, for my final game, waving to my family before a match that finished 5–5.

The next wave of Fergusons. My wonderful grandchildren were part of the farewell party.

Still going strong, friends from my Harmony Row days reunite in Manchester, March 2013.

Would you take us on? Harmony Row, at our annual reunion. Football teams go on forever.

PHOTOGRAPHIC ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The author and publisher would like to thank the following for permission to reproduce photographs:

Action Images, Roy Beardsworth/Offside, Simon Bellis/Reuters/Action Images, Jason Cairnduff/Livepic/Action Images, Chris Coleman/Manchester United/Getty Images, Dave Hodges/Sporting Pictures/Action Images, Ian Hodgson/Reuters/Action Images, Eddie Keogh/Reuters/Action Images, Mark Leech/Offside, Alex Livesey/Getty Images, Clive Mason/Getty Images, Mirrorpix, Gerry Penny/AFP/Getty Images, John Peters/Manchester United/Getty Images, Matthew Peters/Manchester United/Getty Images, Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters/Action Images, Popperfoto/Getty Images, Nick Potts/Press Association, John Powell/Liverpool FC/Getty Images, Tom Purslow/Manchester United/Getty Images, Ben Radford/Getty Images, Carl Recine/Livepic/Action Images, Reuters/Action Images, Rex Features, Martin Rickett/Press Association, Matt Roberts/Offside, Neal Simpson/Empics Sport/Press Association, SMG/Press Association, SNS Group, Simon Stacpoole/Offside, Darren Staples/Reuters/Action Images, Bob Thomas/Getty Images, Glyn Thomas/Offside, John Walton/Empics Sport/Press Association, Kirsty Wrigglesworth/Press Association.

All other photographs are courtesy of Sean Pollock.