Sir Alex Ferguson has spoken of the one match that makes him miss management after being retired for 11 years following his legendary spell in charge of Manchester United.
Sir Alex was appointed as United manager in 1986 and went on to be in the dugout at Old Trafford for more than 25 years, overseeing an unprecedented era of success over two-and-a-half decades.
Under Sir Alex’s leadership, United won 13 Premier League titles, two Champions Leagues, five FA Cups, four League Cups, the European Cup Winners’ Cup, the European Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup during a trophy-laden spell.
He announced his retirement back in 2013 as he became a United director and ambassador, with David Moyes announced as his replacement.
Since Sir Alex stepped down, United’s fortunes have fallen drastically and they are no longer the dominant force in English football they once were with inconsistent results and sporadic trophies in that period.
United have also had numerous bosses in the decade since including Moyes, Louis Van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Erik Ten Hag and now Ruben Amorim, with none of them able to win either the Premier League or Champions League for the club.
Sir Alex, now aged 82, has reflected on his retirement and admitted there is one match in particular which makes him miss being in the dugout.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Sir Alex admitted going to finals of European competitions, such as the Champions League, are the games he really misses being a part of, which he told his late wife Cathy a year after he had stepped back from management.
He said: “I’ve been retired 11 years now so you find a way of adjusting.
“I miss it sometimes. I think in my first year after I was retired I went to the European (Cup) final and I said to Cathy ‘this is what I miss. Big games, the European games.’
“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 everyday.
“Because these are the big events that a club like United should always be involved in.”
Sir Alex managed United in four Champions League finals, winning the trophy in 1999 and 2008, but was beaten by Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona in both 2009 and 2011.
