Manchester remains the place most closely tied to Sir Alex Ferguson, whose long stewardship of Manchester United turned Old Trafford into the setting for one of European football’s defining managerial eras. Now 84, the Scot reflects on illness, recovery and the passing of time in his new book, Games of My Life.
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Ferguson’s record remains extraordinary: 49 trophies across his career, including 13 Premier League titles, while his 27 seasons in charge at United stand as the longest managerial reign in the club’s modern history. He arrived from Scotland in 1986 and built a relationship with the club that endured well beyond his retirement.
In the book, Ferguson speaks openly about the cerebral haemorrhage that required emergency surgery in 2018. The Glasgow-born former manager faced an extended rehabilitation afterwards, including work to regain his voice.
He recalls the isolation he felt during his hospital stay, saying that lying alone in bed could make him feel as though “the rest of the world had never known you existed.” His eventual return to Old Trafford brought a sharply different emotion. When he arrived at the stadium, he felt the wider United community had opened its heart to him, an experience he described as overwhelming.
Ferguson has also recently had to leave Old Trafford after feeling unwell, although the incident did not develop into a serious health concern.
Old Trafford and the years ahead
United announced plans in 2025 for a new Old Trafford project, with the expected cost put at about €2.4 billion. The proposal would reshape a stadium inseparable from Ferguson’s years on the touchline.
Ferguson acknowledges that he will be close to 90 by the time the work is completed and the new ground opens. He cannot know whether he will attend the occasion, but says he expects to be there in some form: “either physically or in spirit.”
