One of the most decorated managers in football history, Sir Alex Ferguson, has said he was terrified about returning to Old Trafford following his brain haemorrhage in 2018.
Four months after emergency surgery, the legendary former Manchester United manager returned to the stadium for the first time to watch his beloved club take on Wolves in the Premier League. He had been retired for five years — after winning 38 trophies during 26 years in charge — and wondered how supporters would greet him.
“I wish I could say I was comfortable. I wasn’t,” Ferguson tells BBC Breakfast.
The Standing Ovation That Changed His Mind
Cathy Ferguson joined her husband at their seats, and together they were met with a standing ovation from the directors’ box before kick-off. His wife was nearly crying, and when they sat down, she said “that’s fantastic.”
This instant marked a turning point for someone who had spent decades honing the skill of intimidating opponents.
Losing His Voice After Surgery
In the days following brain surgery, Ferguson found himself without a voice at all, an alarming period during which he could no longer speak.
When his grandsons arrived to visit him, he was unable to answer back. A therapist was then called in, who requested that he list the names of birds, animals and rivers. Through that straightforward task, his voice eventually came back.
“I remember my grandsons coming to see me and I had lost my voice,” he said. “That was a frightening moment.”
From Govan to Canada and Back Again
Alexander Ferguson grew up in Govan, Glasgow, where his father worked in the Govan shipyards on the River Clyde, giving him his drive to succeed. His mother, Elizabeth, is credited with his inner confidence.
“He was so proud of me and my brother,” he said of his father. “He was a hard taskmaster because whenever I scored a hat-trick or a goal, my mother would say ‘that’s great, son.'”
Ferguson first appeared on the pitch as a striker for Queen’s Park when he was still just 16 years old. Later, he moved to St Johnstone, where he found his time there frustrating and came close to leaving the game behind entirely for a fresh start in Canada.
“I wasn’t enjoying it. I wasn’t playing first-team football; I was in the reserves all the time,” he said. “I filled out all the forms and phoned my aunt in Canada, because you needed a sponsor then, and never told my mother and father.”
On the following day, Rangers hosted St Johnstone at Ibrox. A 21-year-old Ferguson came up through the ranks to start for the visitors and netted three times. That decisive display in 1963 rekindled his playing career and paved the way for him to become one of football’s most successful managers.
“I would say this to young people — don’t miss the biggest opportunity in your life. It’s recognising it,” he said.
The Decision Behind the Notebook
Before the Premier League revealed on Tuesday that Manchester City had been found guilty of all charges concerning breaches of financial regulations from 2009-10 through 2017-18, Ferguson’s interview took place.
Among the objects laid out on the table were items from his career, including the Scotland cap he was eventually handed in 2021, some 54 years after he had played for his country. The cap was given to him at Hampden Park on the night when Scott McTominay, who was then a Manchester United player, scored a late stoppage-time winner in a 3-2 draw against Israel during a World Cup qualifier.
“I remember signing McTominay at seven years of age,” Ferguson said.
Among the papers was a stack of old letters sent to Ferguson from upset Manchester United supporters during the summer of 1995, when there was talk he might sell midfielder Paul Ince to Inter Milan. One letter reads: ‘Don’t sell Incey to Inter — or you’ll regret it’. A second letter reads: ‘Every Red is disgusted with you’.
“Paul was a tremendous footballer, there’s no doubt about that,” Ferguson said. “He had incredible ability, but I just had that feeling that he just got carried away a bit at the time.”
A notebook sat upon the table, bearing a list of terms which Ferguson had once employed when speaking to his players.
What Ferguson Thinks Now
Ferguson is now three months short of 85 and says he is feeling “quite good despite small injuries.” He has a new book coming out, ‘Games of My Life’, which tells the stories of 21 defining matches in his playing and managerial career.
The book follows his path from a working-class background in Glasgow to ruling the English game and Europe as United’s manager, offering new light on his career. He is grateful for the chance to speak about the matches that shaped him.
“I had lost my voice; I couldn’t speak,” he said about the days immediately after brain surgery. “That was a frightening moment.”
The Hard Decisions
All three of Ferguson’s most vulnerable moments — his near-exile to Canada, losing his voice after surgery, and the standing ovation at Old Trafford — show the other side of the man who built a dynasty on fear and fury. He was not always certain how supporters would greet him.
Each object has its own tale to tell: the notebook, the letters, the cap — they all speak of a manager who faced difficult choices and bore their weight. Not every decision found favor with everyone.
But Ferguson knows what his job was as a manager. He had to make hard decisions, and sometimes those decisions didn’t suit everyone. That’s what his notebook is full of: words he wrote down when he used to address his players.
This memoir, ‘Games of My Life’, recounts 21 pivotal contests in the author’s time as both player and manager, spanning from his opening cup final triumph at 13 all the way to his farewell as a manager in 2013. He points to that very medal, awarded to him 71 years ago, as the origin of it all.
“That was my starting point,” he says. “I played for Glasgow Schools, Scotland Schools and the Scotland youth team. The starting point of my career was there and I can look back with great satisfaction.”
Even the most intense managers experience doubt at times, and Ferguson’s story serves as proof of that fact. The people who support them, however, continue to demonstrate their devotion through every defeat.
Key Facts Box
- Brain haemorrhage: Suffered in May 2018, aged 76
- Emergency surgery: Four months before returning to Old Trafford
- Standing ovation: Received from supporters when he took his seat
- Retirement: Five years prior to the haemorrhage
- Trophies won: 38
- Years at United: 26, 1986–2013
- Premier League titles: 13
- Scotland cap: Finally presented in 2021, 54 years after his appearance
- Book: ‘Games of My Life’, covering 21 defining matches
- First cup win: 1955, aged 13, Govan High School
- Career-defining moment: 1963 hat-trick for Rangers at Ibrox
Source material: “'I was terrified': Alex Ferguson on brain haemorrhage and games that shaped his life,” the BBC.
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