After 27 years, his long and illustrious career ended when he retired from managing Manchester United in the Premier League in 2013 - after winning 38 trophies, including 13 Premier League titles, two UEFA Champions League titles and five FA Cups.
His continued success at Old Trafford emphasised the importance of having a great football manager. While a club might have plenty of money to spend on the best players, without a manager who can pull it all together and organise the squad, the club isn't going to win trophies.
Photo Credit: TechCrunch
Playing career
Growing up in Govan, Glasgow, in the 1940s, Sir Alex first played football as a boy with Harmony Row Boys' Club in his hometown and then signed for the youth football club, Drumchapel Amateurs, who had a reputation for producing skilled senior players.
At the age of 16, he made his senior debut with Queen's Park as a striker. He played for a number of Scottish clubs before joining Dunfermline Athletic, where he was top goal scorer in the Scottish league in the 1965-66 season.
The following season, he joined Rangers for £65,000 (a record signing fee between two Scottish clubs), scoring six goals in nine appearances in European matches. He finished his playing career at Ayr United at the age of 32 in 1974.
Scottish football management
Straight away, his first managerial job came at East Stirlingshire when he was 32 - a very young age for a football manager. He had a reputation as a strict disciplinarian, which followed him throughout his career.
He had several management jobs in Scottish football in the 1970s and '80s, leading Aberdeen to success in Europe in the 1982/3 season, after knocking favourites Bayern Munich out of the European Cup Winners' Cup.
Sir Alex led Aberdeen to glory in the final, beating Real Madrid 2-1 to become only the third Scottish team in history to win a European championship. He was awarded the OBE in the 1985 New Year Honours for his services to football.
He became part of the Scottish national squad's coaching staff in the run-up to the 1986 World Cup, but after manager Jock Stein tragically died on 10th September 1985, Sir Alex found himself in charge of the national side. However, Scotland failed to qualify and Sir Alex stepped down as manager on 15th June 1986.
English football
His services were in great demand after his success north of the border and Sir Alex turned down management job offers from Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal. He accepted the job as manager of Manchester United on 6th November 1986, following the sacking of his predecessor Ron Atkinson, after a slump in the team's form.
This was the start of Sir Alex's hugely successful 27-year association with the club. In 1990, he won his first trophy at Old Trafford, after Manchester United beat Crystal Palace 1-0 in the FA Cup final. Beating Barcelona 2-1, victory in the 1991 Cup Winners' Cup followed.
In 1992, they won the European Super Cup, beating Red Star Belgrade, while Sir Alex also enjoyed his first League Cup victory, when United defeated Nottingham Forest 1-0. Their 26-year wait for the league title ended in 1993, when United won the first Premier League title, finishing 10 points clear of runner-up Aston Villa.
In 1994, Manchester United completed the double, winning the league and FA cups. They became the first club in history to win the double twice, when they again stormed to victory in 1996. In 1999, they won the treble - the European Cup, the FA Cup and the Premier League. Sir Alex was knighted in the Queen's Birthday Honours.
In 2001, United won their seventh Premier League title in nine years under Sir Alex, who planned to retire in 2002 - but he was persuaded to sign a new contract instead. His relentless success continued in the 21st century, with United winning the Premier League title again in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2013.
They also won the Champions League and the Club World Cup in 2008 and the League Cup in 2010. Sir Alex managed his 1,000th league game with Manchester United in 2012. He went out on a high, announcing his retirement in 2013, after United won their record 20th league title, including 13 in the Premier League era, after beating Aston Villa 3-0.
It was an emotional moment for players, coaching staff, fans and all of Manchester United's back room staff when Sir Alex gave a heartfelt farewell speech at Old Trafford on 12th May 2013, signalling the end of his long and successful career in football. The end of an era!
Retirement
He has proved a hard act to follow at Old Trafford and no manager since has even come close to the level of success enjoyed during Sir Alex's time at Manchester United.
He has left his legacy at the club, as the Old Trafford North Stand has been renamed the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand and his statue has been erected, looking out over the club.
He lives in Wilmslow, Cheshire, with his wife of 52 years, Cathy. They have three sons, Mark, Darren and Jason. Sir Alex is currently making a good recovery following a brain haemorrhage in May 2018, when he had emergency life-saving surgery.
He still takes a keen interest in football and is planning a trip to Cork on 25th September to attend a tribute match to the late Liam Miller, who lost his battle against cancer earlier this year, at the age of 36. Sir Alex brought Miller to Manchester United from Celtic in 2004 and his former players Ryan Giggs, Roy Keane and Paul Scholes are taking part in the tribute match.
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