Quite a mediocre footballer, and at the same time the most titled coach in the world, for 27 years leading his club to victory; a unique person with an unusual destiny, a symbol of family fidelity, a loving husband and father of three sons; excellent writer, honorary doctor of nine universities, officer and commander of the Order of the British Empire, knight, spirit and banner of English football. All of this is Sir Alexander Ferguson, an inconspicuous gray-haired Scotsman who must be admired.
early years
Alexander was born on the last day of 1941 in the Scottish town of Govan. His family lived quite modestly, his father worked as a tinsmith in the port and dreamed that his son would continue his career.
But young Alex dreamed only of football, and at the age of 16 he played for the local club "Queen's Park". Subsequently, he changed many teams, where he did not particularly distinguished himself by talents, although he regularly scored. After his 20th goal, Alex still had no place in the starting lineup and therefore moved to St. Johnston in 1960, followed by several more clubs, and in 1974 Ferguson retired from his football career.
In the same year, he was offered a coaching position with the East Stirlingshire team, followed by four years as a coach at St Mirren, and even then Ferguson realized that he had found his calling. In 1978, Alex took over as head of Aberdeen, nicknamed Furious Fergie. Iron discipline and incredibly effective tactical moves made him a respected figure in the coaching environment. Aberdeen just took off under Ferguson, winning the Scottish Cup three times in a row and then the European Championship.
Career at Manchester United
In early November 1986, Ferguson was appointed head coach of one of the top English clubs - Manchester United, but Alex started rather sluggishly. Perhaps the reason for this was the death of his beloved mother, Elizabeth, who died of lung cancer.
Season 87/88 Alex began with high-profile acquisitions for the club, creating within the team, as usual, iron discipline. And the years that followed were really stellar. The club won the FA Cup five times, a prestigious award, ten times the FA Super Cup and the Cup Winners' Cup. This is just a small part of Ferguson's triumphant victories. To list all the achievements of this man as coach of Manchester United, one would have to write a book.
He called the players his children and gave preference to young talent over high-profile transfers for big money. A strict, very demanding father, who plowed like a cursed person for the success of his children, demanding efforts from them only for the sake of victory, and was ready to do anything for them. And they paid him the same.
Thanks to these incredible achievements, Alex Ferguson was inducted into the Scottish and English Football Halls of Fame, received many awards, and in 1999 received the title of Knight-Bachelor.
Personal life
Alex met his love, Katie Holding, at a trade union meeting in 1966 and realized that it was forever. In the same year, a wedding took place, and in 1968 they had their first-born, Mark. Four years later, in 1972, his wife pleased her beloved with twins Jason and Darren.
Alex Ferguson and his Katie have become a symbol of a strong family in Britain. One of the reasons for Sir Alex's departure from the coaching post at Manchester United was the illness of his wife, who wanted to see her husband more often by her side. Of course, this was not the only reason, but definitely one of the most important.
The thoughts of this man, his famous "rules of life", his book are still an excellent help to young athletes. He teaches at Harvard Business School and works with Manchester United as a consultant.
In May 2018, he underwent a complex operation due to a cerebral hemorrhage, fortunately coping with it, not least thanks to the support of his family and numerous fans.
