Janice R. Andrews
Sir Alex Ferguson, the legendary coach of Manchester United who quit in 2013 after a record-setting 27-year run, has talked about the one thing he misses most about being in charge of football teams. Ferguson, who led Manchester United to 13 Premier League wins and many other honours, thought back on his time as manager and what he wanted most since leaving. He was 82 years old.
Ferguson told BBC Sport that the most exciting thing about managing in Europe’s biggest football games is that he misses it the most. “I’ve been retired for 11 years, so you get used to it.” I miss it sometimes. I think the first year I was retired, I went to the European Cup final with Cathy and told her, “This is what I miss.” It was the big games, the European games,” Ferguson said.
The former boss said that Manchester United should always be in the European finals, but they haven’t been able to do that since he left. He goes to big European games all the time because he feels connected to them. He said, “I go to most of the European finals because I find something that I can relate to and what I’d like to have done every day.” This made him even more sure that a club like United should be on the biggest stages.
Not only did Ferguson’s Manchester United teams win the league, but they also did well in Europe, winning two UEFA Champions Leagues. Under his direction, the Red Devils last won the game in 2008. Under Jose Mourinho, they won their most recent European title, the Europa League, in 2017.
Even though Manchester United has had a rough few years, Ferguson’s influence will live on, and his knowledge of the sport will continue to shape talks about the club’s future.
Ferguson had a lot of success with great players like Eric Cantona, Ryan Giggs, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Paul Scholes. United hasn’t been able to match that level of success since. People are still affected by him, and his words remind us of how far the club came when he was in charge.
