Friday December 31, 2021
Coach icon Ferguson turns 80
The “Pope” with the “brain of a madman”
Sir Alex Ferguson is considered a coach icon on the island. The odd Scot won 38 titles with Manchester United. He is also famous for his sayings and his discipline. He shaped stars like Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham, Jürgen Klopp adores him. Ferguson is celebrating its 80th birthday today.
Jürgen Klopp thinks in awe of his first meeting with Sir Alex Ferguson. “We had breakfast together. For me it was like meeting the Pope,” said the Liverpool coach. Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo still describes Ferguson as a “father figure”. And for Jupp Heynckes, the British team manager icon is simply “style-setting”.
Ferguson won 38 (!) Titles with his club, Manchester United, including the legendary triumph in the 1999 Champions League against FC Bayern. For Munich it was “the mother of all defeats”, for Ferguson an important part of his legend. The north stand of the famous Old Trafford has long since borne his name; in front of the arena he is immortalized as a bronze statue. Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson is celebrating his 80th birthday this Friday.
He was born in 1941 in the working class district of Govan in Glasgow. Ferguson is a trained toolmaker and, after his professional career at several Scottish clubs, even ran a pub for a short time before joining Manchester United on November 6, 1986 via East Stirlingshire FC, St. Mirren FC and Aberdeen FC. Ferguson shaped the most successful era in the club’s history. In 1999, Queen Elizabeth II even knighted him. When he sat on the United bench for the last time after 27 years on May 19, 2013, he had looked after his team in 1,500 (!) Competitive games.
“I’m such a damn talented guy”
The gnarled “Fergie” cultivated an authoritarian leadership style when dealing with his stars, relying on hard work and discipline. Those who didn’t go along were kicked out – even if their name was David Beckham or Roy Keane. Ferguson could get loud, and choleric outbursts were not uncommon. “If you lose and Sir Alex thinks you did your best, there is no problem. But if you let yourself down and lose, you should watch your ears,” said striker Andy Cole once.
Ferguson’s sayings are also legendary. “You shouldn’t try to look into the brain of a madman,” he once said of himself. When asked what he would do after his career, the weird Scot replied dryly: “I’m such a damn talented guy. Maybe I’m starting to paint or something. ” Due to his legacy at Manchester United, a number of prominent coaches in José Mourinho, Louis van Gaal and most recently Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have already failed. Ralf Rangnick is currently trying to fill in the huge footsteps of Ferguson.
What hero status Ferguson enjoys at United was also shown three years ago. When the club icon returned to his Old Trafford for the first time after an emergency operation due to a life-threatening cerebral hemorrhage and several weeks between hopes and fears, there were standing ovations from the fans for minutes. The whole football world was “happy”, said Mourinho afterwards, “that Sir Alex Ferguson is back and healthy”.
Ferguson himself doesn’t like it when he is too much of a focus. The many personal awards were never so important to him. It was “completely irrelevant,” he said, “who does what in this club. Only the name Manchester United will stay forever.” But always associated with Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson.