Following Sir Alex Ferguson’s decision to end his 26 year spell at the helm in Manchester, Juventus Football Club recalls the words of admiration spoken by the great man about the Bianconeri.
“Juventus were an example for my Manchester United. I had my players watch videos of Lippi’s team and would say, ‘Don’t look at the tactics or technique, we have that too, you need to learn to have that desire to win.”
This quote provides Juve fans everywhere with a great sense of pride, not just because of the kind words, but also the fact that they all came from Sir Alex Ferguson, a true colossus of sport, not just of football or the Red Devils. Although the Scotsman is principally known for his exploits in the Old Trafford dugout, he also enjoyed a successful playing career as a free-scoring striker, starting with Glasgow's Queen’s Park in 1957. Sir Alex went on to enjoy great success at various other Scottish clubs such as St. Johnstone, Dunfermline, Rangers, Falkirk and Ayr United as he registered 170 goals in just 317 matches.
Before taking on the blockbuster job of Manchester United coach, Ferguson was already able to boast 12 years of managerial experience around his native Scotland, featuring spells with East Stirling, St. Mirren, Aberdeen and the Scottish national side.
Sir Alex moved to England in 1986 to take over from Ron Atkinson as manager of the Red Devils, with whom he would go on to achieve 24 major trophy successes: 13 Premier League, five FA Cup, four League Cup and two Champions League. These amazing statistics clearly demonstrate how successfully Ferguson managed to instill the aforementioned “desire to win” into his players as he guided them to the very pinnacle of the world game.
Earlier this morning, at the age of 71 and with two fixtures remaining in the Premier League season, the Scotsman finally decided to call time on his glorious 26 year reign at Old Trafford.
There have been many memorable clashes between Juventus and Manchester United over the years and it will be extremely strange not to see him on the touchline directing his troops when the two sides next meet. Thank you for the fond memories Sir Alex, it’s been an honour to share the pitch with you.
All associated with Juventus Football Club wish Sir Alex Ferguson the best of luck in the future.
