Sir Alex Ferguson Career Stats, Facts and Profile

Sir Alex Feguson was born in the humble surroundings of Govan, Glasgow on New Years Eve 1941, to Alexander Beaton Ferguson and Elizabeth Hardie.

Fergie's playing career began at amateur club Queen's Park, making a goal scoring debut - at the tender age of 16 - in a 2-1 defeat against Stranraer. Because the young Alex Ferguson was not playing football professionally he worked in the Clyde Shipyards as a tool maker and it was here where started to show his leadership skills by becoming a trade union shop steward.

Although scoring an adequate 11 goals in 32 games for Queen's Park Alex Ferguson could not command a regular first team place, so at the age of 19 he tried his luck at Perth outfit St Johnstone. His luck didn't change much for his new club and was often left out of the starting line-up. However, fate smiled on Ferguson in a match against his boyhood heroes Glasgow Rangers. As the story goes; St Johnstone tried to buy a striker but failed in their quest so the young striker was drafted into the team. Ferguson grasped the chance to shine against the giants of Scottish football and bagged himself a hat-trick.

Impressed by his exploits Dunfermline quickly snapped Alex Ferguson up on professional terms in 1964. The player enjoyed his time with the Pars and repaid their faith in him by scoring an impressive 66 goals in just 88 games.

In 1967 his goal scoring antics made Glasgow Rangers sit up and take note, who signed him for a fee of £65,000 which at the time was a record transfer fee between two Scottish clubs. During his two years at the club Alex Ferguson scored 44 goals in 57 games but left Rangers rather abruptly after the 1969 Scottish Cup when the fiery Scot was blamed for a goal which his side had conceded.

In 1969 Alex Freguson signed for Falkirk, where he became a player coach, but in 1974 he left The Bairns when manager John Prentice took charge of the team and relieved Fergie from his coaching duties, which, needless to say didn't go down too well with the volatile striker. The future Manchester United manager quickly put in a transfer request and joined West coast side Ayr United where he finished his playing career after a serious knee injury.

In October 1975 Alex Ferguson was approached by St. Mirren to see if he would be interested in taking over the reigns at the Paisley based club. After a long chat with Celtic legend Jock Stein Fergie decided to accept the offer.

During his four year spell at St. Mirren Alex Ferguson changed the fortunes of the club quite dramatically. When the canny Scot took charge the club were languishing in the depths of the Scottish Second Division and within three years The Saints were crowned First Division champions, not only did they win - more often than not - they played a brand of football which would not look out of place under the floodlights of Old Trafford some 25 years later. Quite remarkably the average age of the team was just 19 years old.

However in 1978 Ferguson was sacked by the club after they claimed he acted in an"intimidating manner" towards his staff. Fergie did not take this lying down and took the club to a tribunal for wrongful dismissal, unfortunately for him he lost and left his post.

In his first season at Pittodrie the club finished fourth in the League but were beaten in both the League Cup final and Scottish Cup semi-final. So his golden touch - which has been evident during his career at Manchester United - had deserted Alex Feguson in his early days on the East coast of Scotland. In fact things would get slightly worse before they would get better because in December 1979 his Aberdeen side were defeated in the Scottish League Cup once more, this time 3-0 by Dundee United after a replay.

However, this unlucky run would not last because that season - after a number of excellent results - Alex Ferguson's Aberdeen side were crowned champions of Scotland for the first time in 35 years and it was the first time in a decade and a half that a team other than Rangers and Celtic had won the League title.

After the championship win Ferguson was able to commence his love affair with the European Cup, which he has very much continued to this day with Manchester United. In the first round Aberdeen had to overcome a tricky tie against Austria Vienna, which they did 1-0 on aggregate. However, in the second round his side were drawn against Liverpool and unfortunately lost 5-0 on aggregate.

The following season Aberdeen could not hold on to their Scottish League title as Celtic pipped them to it by just two points, however, all was not lost for Ferguson's side as they managed to pick up the Scottish F.A. Cup with an emphatic 4-1 extra-time victory over Glasgow Rangers.

The 1982-83 season saw more European adventures for Alex Ferguson as his Aberdeen side qualified for the - now defunct - European Cup-Winners Cup. But first his side had to qualify for the first round proper by overcoming Swiss Cup winners FC Sion, which they bid in style winning 7-0 in Scotland and 4-1 in Switzerland. After that victory the people of Aberdeen, the players and indeed Alex Ferguson began to believe that they could do something special on the European scene. In the follwing rounds they disposed of KS Dinamo Tirana (1-0) and Lech Poznari (3-0).

Aberdeen were now in the quarter-final of the competition, where they faced German giants, Bayern Munich. After a tense goalless draw at Pittodrie the writing looked to be on the wall for the Scottish Cup winners, but as all Manchester United fans can vouch for, when his back is against 'the wall 'Alex Ferguson and his players are at their most dangerous. When the game kicked off few people had given Aberdeen a prayer, however the doubters were proved wrong with The Dons running out 3-2 winners.

In the semi-final of the European Cup-Winners Cup Aberdeen had to overcome the conqueror of Paris Saint-Germain, Genk of Belgium if they were to create history and book their place in their first European final. The Aberdeen fans needn't have worried as their team trounced the Belgian Cup winners 5-1 in the fist leg at Pittodrie and secured a final spot with a 1-1 draw in the second leg.

Alex Ferguson's and Aberdeen's first European final would take place in Gothenburg, Sweden against the all conquering Real Madrid. In a tightly contested match Eric Black gave Ferguson's men an early lead, unfortunately for Aberdeen seven minutes later Real were awarded a penalty which Juanito cooly converted. There were no more goals after 90 minutes so the game went into extra-time. As the match looked like going to the dreaded penalties twenty year old, Abereen born John Hewitt came off the bench (as he did against Bayern Munich) to net the winning goal. Against all odds Alex Ferguson and his indomitable Dons had won the European Cup-Winners Cup.

The following season (1983-84) Aberdeen contested the European Cup-Winners cup once again. They made a good fist of defending the title they had won in Gothenburg but were beaten 2-0 on aggregate by Portuguese glamour club FC Porto in the semi-final. The pain of losing their Cup-Winners cup crown was somewhat tempered by yet another Scottish League championship, which they won at canter, finishing seven points ahead of Celtic and a massive 15 points ahead of Rangers in fourth and considering this was the era of the 2 points for a win this was a fantastic accomplishment, especially for a team that had now tripled their league title wins in the space of three seasons. Not only did they furnish their trophy cabinet with league crown they added the Scottish Cup too, beating Celtic 2-1 in the final with goals by Mark McGhee and Eric Black.

With his second Scottish League title in the bag Alex Ferguson could now pit his wits against Europe's big boys once more, as Aberdeen represented Scotland in the European Cup. Unfortunately for Ferguson and his men they were defeated in the first round by East German champions BFC Dynamo Berlin 5-4 on penalties after the tie finished 3-3 on aggregate.

Although Alex Ferguson and his Aberdeen team were finding life difficult on the European scene the same couldn't be said domestically as they won their 3rd League title in five seasons, again finishing seven points ahead of Celtic and massive 21 points ahead of fourth placed Glasgow Rangers.

The experience Aberdeen had gained from their two other forays into the European Cup showed as they brushed aside Icelandic champions Akranes 7-2 in the first round, followed by a narrow 1-0 win over Swiss outfit Servette in the second. The two victories meant that Alex Ferguson's men were now in their first ever European Cup quarter-final where they faced Swedish league title holders Gothenburg. In the first leg at Pittodrie the match finished 2-2, but the two goals conceded by The Dons would prove crucial after a goalless second leg, this would mean that Alex Ferguson's boys would be knocked out on the dreaded away goals ruling.

Their cruel defeat to Gothenburg seemed to effect their league form too as they slumped to a fourth place finish, behind eventual champions Celtic, runners-up Hearts and 3rd placed Dundee United. Although they couldn't hold on to their league title they did make sure that they were playing European football the following season by picking up both the Scottish Cup (their fourth in five seasons) and League Cup trophies.

The 1985-86 season would prove to be Alex Ferguson's last full season in charge at Pittodrie as England's top clubs began to sit up and take note of Fergie's miracale workings in Aberdeen. After he had rejected offers from North London giants Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal an attempt by Manchester United to lure Alex Ferguson to Old Trafford surfaced. The canny Scot's head was turned and the prospect of replacing Ron Atkinson at biggest club in the world would prove to be too big of a draw for Alex Ferguson to back away from.

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When Alex Ferguson took over the hotseat at Manchester United the club were languishing in the depths of the First Division after losing 6 of their first 13 matches. However in his first game in charge things didn't go to plan as the United slumped to a 2-0 defeat by Oxford United at the Manor Ground. For his first win in charge of the club Ferguson would have to wait until his third match, a John Sivebaek goal being enough to secure a home victory over Queens Park Rangers.

After a dreadful start to the 1986-87 season United's form seemed to stabilise under the guidance of Alex Ferguson and the team consolidated their place at the top table of English football with an eleventh place finish.

Alex Ferguson's first full season in charge of Manchester United saw the Scot make his first signing when he splashed out £250,000 to bring Arsenal defender Viv Anderson to Old Trafford. However, he didn't stop there, as he freshened up the squad with the signings of Steve Bruce and Brian McClair. As the new players began to click United finished the season in second place, their highest position for eight years. In fact The Reds could've nicked the title from arch-rivals Liverpool if they had gotten off to a better start (United won just six of their first sixteen matches that season.

The Following season (1988-89) was pretty much one to forget for Manchester United fans. Although Alex Ferguson brought home Mark Hughes from Barcelona for a then club record fee of £1.8m the team slumped to a dismal eleventh place finish.

According to reports at the time the 1989-90 season was a make or break campaign for the Manchester United boss. After a poor start in the league, which saw The Reds lose 5-1 to Manchester City, it was said that Alex Ferguson was very close to losing his job. When he took his men to play Nottingham Forest in the F.A. Cup 3rd round, Fergie knew defeat could spell the end to his short ,Manchester United career. In fiercely contested game it looked like the tie was heading for a replay until Mark Robins nodded in a cross by fellow strike partner Mark Hughes, Alex Ferguson's job seemed to be safe, for the time being at least.

After beating Hereford United (1-0), Newcastle United (3-2) and Sheffield United (1-0) The Reds were now through to the semi-final of the F.A. Cup where they faced Lancashire rivals Oldham Athletic. In a superb game at Maine Road United managed to salvage an 3-3 draw with goals by Bryan Robson, Neil Webb and Danny Wallace and get themselves a replay. The second game was a tighter affair, with the game poised at 1-1 Mike Phelan picked up the ball in midfield and threaded a wonderful ball through to Mark Robins, he out sprinted the Oldham Athletic defenders to slot the ball past the goalkeeper.

In the 1990 F.A. Cup final at Wembley Manchester United were favourites to lift the trophy, but there is something about the competition which seems to spur the underdogs to lift their game to extreme levels. With just 18 minutes on the clock the South Londoners Crystal Palace took a shock lead through Gary O'Reilly after a blunder by United goalkeeper Jim Leighton. Palace were in the lead for just seventeen minutes before captain marvel Bryan Robson bundled in the equaliser. In the 62nd minute Mark Hughes rifled a fierce half-volley past Palace goalkeeper Nigel Martyn to put United 2-1 up. However the team from London weren't going to give up their dream without a fight.a goal from young substitute Ian Wright ten minutes after United had taken the lead sent the game into extra time. Another goal from Wright put the underdogs 3-2 up just 2 minutes into the extra time, before Mark Hughes got United's third and his second of the game to secure a replay for Alex Ferguson and his team mates.

The replay - again at Wembley Stadium - was a much tighter affair with both teams cancelling each other out, until defender Lee Martin rifled the ball into the roof of the net to give Manchester United a 1-0 lead, which they scrapped and held on to to claim their seventh F.A. Cup title.

Victory for Man Utd in the 1990 F.A. Cup final would mean that Alex Ferguson would get the chance to cut his teeth on the European stage for the first time in five seasons as United would represent England in the European Cup-Winners Cup.

In the first round Alex Ferguson and his Manchester United side faced Hungarians Pecsi Munkas - in the first leg at Old Trafford goals by Clayton Blackmore and Neil Webb gave The Reds a 2-0 victory to take to Budapest. The second leg was just a formality with a Brian McClair goal securing United a 3-0 aggregate victory. The second round would see Alex Ferguson's side only having to travel a few miles as they were drawn against Welsh Cup winners Wrexham. United won the home game 3-0 thanks to Steve Bruce, Gary Pallister and Brian McClair. A 2-0 victory at the Racecourse ground secured Alex Ferguson a third round tie against Frenchmen Montpellier, who had won the French cup with the help of little known striker Eric Cantona however the future Manchester United kegend loan spell had ended before Montpellier took on Fergie's boys.

After a nervy 1-1 draw in the first leg at Old Trafford many people thought United's run in the European aCup-Winners cup would come to an abrupt halt. However, Alex Ferguson and his men had other plans a goal by Steve Bruce and a stunning Clayton Blackmore free-kick gave Man Utd a superb 2-0 victory.

Thanks to Alex Ferguson Manchester United were in their first European semi-final since they were defeated by Juventus at the same stage of the competition seven years earlier. Fortunately for United though they had to face Polish Cup winners Legia Warsaw and not the might of Italy's finest, so a place in the Rotterdam final was a distinct possibility for Fergie. Goals by Steve Bruce, Mark Hughes and Brian McClair in the Polish capital secured a brilliant 3-1 victory. The second leg would just be a formality, United booked their place in their first European final since the glory days of Sir Matt Busby with a 1-1 draw with United's solitary goal coming via a Lee Sharpe strike.

The European Cup-Winners Cup final took place on a wet and windy night at the De Kuip stadium Rotterdam against Barcelona. On the night Alex Ferguson noted that the weather conditions would perhaps favour his Manchester United side. It turns out he might've had point United took the lead in the 67th minute when Mark Hughes tapped in aSteve Bruce knock down. Seven minutes later a superb Bryan Robson through ball put Hughes in on goal, the Welshman rounded the out rushing Barcelona goalkeeper Carles Busquets and smashed the ball into the gaping net. Manchester United were now on the verge of winning only their second European trophy in their history, but they were given a scare when Ronald Koeman pulled a goal back with eleven minutes left to play when he scored with a trademark 35 yard free kick which United goalkeeper Les Sealey failed to deal with. A goal mouth clearance by Clayton Blackmore in the last minute ensured The Reds would hold on to their lead and be taking the European Cup-Winners Cup back to Old Trafford.

Although the following season (1991-92) Alex Ferguson and Manchester United failed to defend their European Cup-Winners Cup crown after losing to Athletico Madrid in the second round and lost the League title to Leeds United after looking certainties to win their first championship in 25 years; they were compensated by picking up the European Super Cup against Red Star Belgrade and the League Cup in a 1-0 victory over Nottingham Forest.

After the purchase of Eric Cantona from Leeds United, Alex Ferguson would now do deal to bring another player to Old Trafford who would prove to be even more influential than the enigmatic Frenchman, his name was Roy Keane, who would prove to be arguably the greatest signing of Alex Ferguson's career at Manchester United. Although the £3.75m fee paid for the player was scoffed at by many pundits and fans alike Fergie knew he could turn the young Irishman into one of the best Midfielders in the land.

The winning of the League title gave Alex Ferguson's men the belief that they could beat anybody they played against, certainly from England anyhow and it seemed to set them free from the shackles of not winning the trophy for such a long time too. The win also meant that Manchester United could continue the traditions of The Busby Babes and contest the European Cup once more. In the first round Ferguson's men were drawn against Hungarian champions Honved. In a tough encounter in Budapest two goals by new signing Roy Keane and one by Eric Cantona gave The Reds a 3-2 win. In the second leg centre back Steve Bruce's brace secured United a 5-3 aggregate win.

Despite their victory Manchester United struggled to adapt to the European game because they were hindered by UEFA's "Three foreigner" ruling which meant that United could not field their first choice team in any European match as players like Peter Schmeichel, Eric Cantona, Andrei Kanchelskis, Denis Irwin and Roy Keane could not all play at the same time. In fact United's Welsh and Scottish players Mark Hughes, Ryan Giggs and Brian McClair were affected by the rule too (Englsih clubs were allowed to field no more than two Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish born players). Although the ruling handicapped English clubs like United it did mean that Ferguson could blood some of his youngsters in the competition, giving them vital experience.

In Ferguson' second game in the European Cup Manchester United were drawn against Turkish outfit Galatasary the first leg finished 3-3 at Old Trafford, which meant United would have to win in Istanbul or secure a draw higher than 3-3 to progress to the next round. Unfortunately the bad tempered match finished 0-0. These days the game is remembered for the "Welcome to Hell" banners unveiled by the Galatasary fans, Eric Cantona's dismissal after the final whistle and United players allegedly being attacked by Turkish police.

Although they didn't fair too well in the European Cup Alex Ferguson's Manchester United side began to strengthen their grip on the domestic scene. The 1993-94 season saw The Reds win the F.A. Cup and League double, beating Chelsea 4-0 and pipping Blackburn Rovers respectively to do so. In fact they almost won a domestic treble that season but were beaten 3-1 by Aston Villa in the final of the League Cup.

The 1994-95 season would see Alex Ferguson face heartache in Europe once again as Manchester United were drawn in a difficult group consisting of Barcelona, Gothenburg and Galatasary in the new look UEFA Champions League Cup. After The Reds defence was torn to ribbons by the superb Romario and Hristo Stoitchkov in a 4-0 defeat United were left with an uphill struggle to reach the knock-out stages and after a 3-1 defeat in thier penultimate group by Gothenburg they needed to beat Galatasary in their final game and hope that the Swedish champions defeated Barcelona at the Nou Camp in order to progress. When the last games came around Manchester United stuck to their end of the bargain by beating Galatasary 4-0, but brave Gothenburg were unable to do Alex Ferguson a favour as they fought out a 1-1 draw in Spain.

That season was pretty much one to forget for Manchester United fans as The Red Devils lost the title to Blackburn Rovers on the final day of 1994-95 campaign - by just one point - and were defeated by a Paul Rideout goal in the F.A. Cup final against Everton. The season also saw talisman Eric Cantonabanned for nine months for his efforts in trying to remake the film "Enter The Dragon" at Selhurst Park, where he Kung-Fu kicked a Crystal Palace fan after being dismissed by referee Alan Wilkie

After their first day defeat United's form began to improve and when Eric Cantona returned from his lengthy ban Manchester United began to fire on all cylinders. So impressive was the returning Frenchman that his goalscoring antics secured United 18 points as he netted the winner after winner during the run in. United won the League title again that season and Alex Ferguson had Cantona to thank in the F.A. Cup final, as his solitary goal was enough to defeat Liverpool and secure an unprecedented "double, double"for Manchester United.

In the next round United faced the brilliant FC Porto. The Portuguese champions arrived at Old Trafford with a formidible reputation and many commentators expected United to be taught a footballing lesson after the Iberians had won their group - containing AC Milan, Gothenburg and Rosenburg - at a canter with sixteen points from a possible eighteen. United started the first leg at a super fast tempo and wouldn't let Porto settle into their rhythm. Alex Ferguson's men were rewarded for their fine start when David May scrambled in a 22nd minute corner and United were flying as Eric Cantona pounced to smash the ball passed Portuguese goalkeeper Vitor Baia 12 minutes later. At half-time and what seemed like against all odds United led 2-0. The second half started like the first one ended and Ryan Giggs added to United's lead in the 61st minute and it was then left for striker Andy Cole to complete the 4-0 rout as he cooly slotted the ball under goalkeeper Vitor Baia after an Eric Cantona through ball.Manchester United completed the formality of booking their place in the UEFA Champions League semi-final against German side Borussia Dortmund with a goaless draw in Portugal.

Although Alex Ferguson's Manchester United side had improved in the UEFA Champions League, thanks in part to the scrapping of the "three foreigner" ruling in 1995, they would find the obstacle of Borussia Dortmund to big a hurdle to overcome. The German's were packed full of word class players such as Matthias Sammer, Paulo Sousa, Karl-Heinz Riedler, Stefan Reuter, Andreas Moller and Jurgen Kohler. In the first leg United were outplayed and did well to escape with a 1-0 defeat. However the second leg was a different affiar. Despite the game finishing 1-0 to the Germans Manchester United squandered chance after chance in the game as the Reds peppered Dortmund's goal for most of the second half, but just couldn't find the breakthrough goal.

Despite defeat in the world's biggest club competition Manchester United did go on the lift the Premier League title that season when they pipped Newcastle United for the second time in two years.

On the domestic scene Manchester United were knocked out of the F.A. Cup by lowly Barnsley after their fourth round replay finished 3-2 to the Yorkshiremen and to add insult to injury the Premier League title was lost to Arsenal as the Londoners overhauled United's seemingless unassailable 11 point lead.

In the draw held in Monte Carlo Manchester United were not seeded so faced the prospect of being drawn into a "group of death" and the final outcome didn't disappoint as The Reds would have to face home and away games against Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Brondby. In their first group game United faced Barcelona in Manchester. The game was one of the greatest played in Europe that season with both teams sharing the spoils with three goals a-piece.

After their second group game - which finished in a 2-2 draw - against Bayern Munich in Germany Alex Ferguson knew his team would have to win both of their games against Danish champions Brondby in order to give them a cushion for the upcoming games against Bayern and Barcelona. His Manchester United braves didn't let him down they demolished the Danes 6-2 in the away game and did likewise at home 5-0.

Going into the second game with Barcelona, United were one point ahead of Bayern Munich in second and four points ahead of the Catalans in third. So a draw at the Nou Camp would secure Alex Ferguson's men a place in the quarter-final. The game was every bit as exciting as the first one with the sides sharing six goals once again. The Draw meant United were through to the next round with one game left to spare.

The quarter-final would see Alex Ferguson pitting his wits against Inter Milan's Romanian coach Mircea Lucescu and two goals from Manchester United's Trinidadian hitman Dwight Yorke ensured the Scot finished on top with a hard fought 2-0 victory at Old Trafford. The second leg played at the San Siro was an equally tense affair and when the Italians took a lead through Diego Simeone many United fans feared the worse. That was until the brilliantPaul Scholes booked United a place in the semi-finals with an 88th minute trademark "Artful Dodger" like finish.

Manchester United's UEFA Champions League momentum was carrying them through the rounds and all that stopped Alex Ferguson from contesting his first final in the competition was Marcello Lippi and Juventus. In the first leg at Old Traffordthe Italians looked to be going back to Turin with a 1-0 victory courtesy of Antonio Conte, but Ryan Giggs was determined to have the last say as he smashed the ball into the roof of the net with seconds remaining on the clock. The second leg at the Stadio Deli Alpi was argaubly one of the greatest matches in the illustrious history of Manchester United. In a fast paced opening Juventus took a 2-0 lead through a Filipo Inzaghe brace. United would now need to score at least two goals to make it to final in Barcelona. However, unfortunately for the Italians Roy Keane was in town and he was in the mood to spoil the Juve party. On the 24th minute United's captain stole in at the near post to power a superb header past the hapless Peruzzi. However, Keane's joy would not last as he went in for a tackle to win the ball from Juventus playmaker Zinedine Zidane he misjudged the challenge and brought the Frenchman down, which resulted in the Irish midfielder picking up a yellow card, a yellow card which would see him miss the final. Most players in the same Keane's position would be forgiven for losing their focus, but they breed them pretty tough in Cork. The Manchester United captain produced one of the greatest performances the UEFA Champions League has seen. He drove the team forward and in the 34th minute Dwight Yorke pounced to put United in the driving seat. The Italians had no choice but to come out attacking and it was this action which led to Andy Cole securing United's final spot when he netted a third on the counter-attack.

Manchester United were now through to only their second European Cup final in their glorious history, but the team standing between Alex Ferguson's heroes - minus the suspended duo of Roy Keane and Paul Scholes- were three time winners Bayern Munich. When the game commenced Manchester United didn't get off to the best of starts and found themselves trailing 1-0 when Mario Basler curled a dubiously awarded free-kick passed the floundering Peter Schmeichel. As Alex Ferguson's side searched for an equaliser they left spaces at the back which the Germans nearly exploited on a few occassions, but fortunatley for Manchester United the woodwork, poor finishing and a couple of superb saves from Peter Schmeichel kept The Reds in the game.

Late in the second half Alex Ferguson made two of the best substitutions of his managerial career when he brought off the misfiring Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke and replaced them with Teddy Sherringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. As time began to run out the German bench began to celebrate, but they should've known that football has a habit of biting you on the backside when you least expect it. In the 91st minute Man United won a corner. David Beckham swung in the set-piece, which was headed clear by the German defence, but only as far as Ryan Giggs on the edge of the box. The Welshman's resulting shot was scuffed and landed at the feet of Teddy Sheringham who swivelled and guided the ball past the helpless Oliver Khan in the Bayern goal. United were now level and the Germans looked shellshocked. Alex Ferguson could now sense victory and urged his team to try and get the winner within the two minutes of stoppage time that remained. When United won a corner with one minute on the clock there was great anticipation coming from the Manchester United fans at the Nou Camp and as with the first goal David Beckham swung in the corner, which Teddy Sheringham nodded down to Solskjaer, who, as if in slow motion stuck out his right boot and diverted the ball into the roof of the net. With hardly anytime left to play, that was it, Manchester United had won the UEFA Champions League and Alex Ferguson had now got his hands on a trophy that had eluded him for twenty years.

On the domestic front Alex Ferguson's side didn't get off the best of starts in the League and found themselves trailing 2-0 to Leicester City at home, in their first game of the season, but two late goals from Teddy Sheringham and David Beckham salvaged a point for The Reds.

Although in the early part of the campaign Manchester United's away form left much to desired it that was their excellent home form which kept The Red Devils keeping pace with Arsenal and Chelsea.

Manchester United recorded their biggest victory of the season away to Nottingham Forest, trouncing them 8-1, with the exceptional Ole Solskjaer coming off the bench too bag himself 4 goals in an incredible 12 minutes. And it was this victory which set the team up for a fantastic running remaining unbeaten for the remaining 13 games of the season, with eight victories in thew process.

However, the title was hanging in the balance as Arsenal were matching Alex Ferguson and his men stride for stride. Going into the last week of the season the Gunners had their destiny in their own hands, but a favour handed to United by arch-rivals Leeds, in the form of a 1-0 victory over the Londoners swung the pendulum back Fergies way.

When the last game of the season arrived Alex Ferguson knew that if his Manchester United side were beat Tottenham Hotspur they would be crowned Champions of England - if Arsenal beat Aston Villa at Highbury. The Gunners won 1-0, so had enough points to overtake United and win the League title. In the game at Old Trafford, the home fans were silenced when Les Ferdinand lobbed the ball passed the stranded Peter Schmeichel. As half-time approached and Manchester United had been losing for most of the first half, the ball arrived to David Beckham on the edge of the box, the midfielder struck a superb shot into the top corner, United were now level and needed just one more goal to ensure Alex Ferguson would be taking home his 8th League winners medal (3 with Aberdeen, 5 with Man Utd).

Just after half timeGary Neville lofted a great pass to Andy Cole, who superbly plucked the ball out of the air and lobbed the ball over Ian Walker in the Spurs net. That goal seemed to knock the stuffing out of the visitors and United played the game out to record victory and reclaim their League title.

The F.A. Cup campaign kicked off with a home tie against Bryan Robson's Middlesborough side. Manchester United easily brushed the visitors aside with a 3-1 victory, with goals by Cole, Irwin and a href = http://www.manchester-united-fans-site.com/ryan-giggs.html>Ryan Giggs.

The second round drew Alex Ferguson and his Manchester United team a home tie against rivals Liverpool. In a tight game The Red Devils found themselves trailing to a Michael Owen goal and with time running out Dwight Yorke gave United a much deserved equaliser. The scene was now set for supersub Ole Solskjaer, who didn't let his team mates down and obliged by firing a shot passed the Liverpool goalkeeper to send Alex Ferguson and the Old Trafford faithful into raptures.

A 1-0 victory in the fifth round over Fulham set up a mouthwatering home quarter-final with Chelsea, unfortunately the match didn't live up to the hype as both sides fought out a goalless draw. The replay at Stamford Bridge was settled by the "on fire" Dwight Yorke, who's two goals gave Manchester United a 2-0 victory.

The Reds reward for their victory was a semi-final against League champions Arsenal, which gave Alex Ferguson the chance to pit his wits against talented coach Arsene Wenger. The game at Villa Park saw both sides cancel each other out and inevitably finished in a 0-0 draw. The second leg - also at Villa Park - would go down as one of the most gripping F.A.Cup games of all time. In a fast paced opening David Beckham picked up the ball 25 yards from goal and smashed a low drive past David Seaman.

After chances for both teams Arsenal struck level when Dennis Bergkamp's shot took a cruel deflection off United defender Jaap Stam and nestled in the back of the net. Later on in the game Nicolas Anelka pounced and thought he had put the Gunners ahead, but the goal was rightly ruled out for offside. In the 60th minute United captain Roy Keane's mis-timed a challenge on Arsenal winger Marc Overmars resulted in the Irishman picking up his second booking and an early bath.

As full time approached Arsenal were on the attack and as Ray Parlour ran into the box he was upended by a stratching Phil Neville. The referee had no choice but to point to the spot. Should Denis Bergkamp have scored it would've ultimately knocked Manchester United out of the competition and destroy any hope of "The Treble". The Dutchman calmly stepped up and his strike was superby saved by United legend Peter Schmeichel. It seemed that the mid-season two week break handed to the Danish giant by boss Alex Ferguson had done the trick.

The game would now go into extra-time. In the first period no goals were scored and as the clock ran down it seemed like the game would have to be settled penalties. However' Ryan Giggs had other ideas. The Welsh winger picked up a loose ball by Arsenal Midfielder Patrick Viera just inside his own half. The next 10 seconds would arguably be the greatest ever seen in the long history of the F.A. Cup. The flyer put his had down, dribbled the ball past the entire Arsenal back four and smashed a left foot shot into the roof of David Seaman's net. A superb goal which booked United's place in the final.

On 22nd May 1999 Alex Ferguson's team faced Newcastle United at Wembley. With only a few minutes gone United captain Roy Keane was injured when he collided with Magpie Gary Speed. The skipper was replaced by Teddy Sheringham who in turn repayed Alex Ferguson - for giving him a chance - by scoring The Reds opening one minute later.

Manchester United were in full control of the game and added to their lead when Paul Scholes netted a trademark finish, United ran out eventual 2-0 winners and gave Alex Ferguson his third double whilst charge of The Reds.

The decision made by Alex Ferguson and Manchester United caused a huge storm in England as the press accused the club of "disrespecting" the F.A. Cup. In the sweltering heat of South America The Reds struggled, and after drawing 1-1 against Mexican side Necaxa and being well beaten 3-1 by Vasco de Gama United were out of the tournament. In their final group match they had to beat Aussie outfit South Melbourne 3-0 to qualify for the third place playoff, The Red Devils could only muster a 2-0 victory and flew back to Manchester with their tails between their legs.

The 2000-2001 League season went the same way as the last, but the gap between Manchester United and Arsenal was shortened to 10 points. In the group stages of the UEFA Champions League Manchester United struggled and in their final game of that stage had to beat Dynamo Kiev to progress. The Reds stuttered to a 1-0 victory courtesy of Teddy Sherringham and qualified for the the second group stages, where Alex Ferguson had test his tactical nouse against Valencia, Panathinaikos, and Srurm Graz. United made easier work of this particular group and qualified for the quarter-final in second place, behind the Spaniards.

The next round Alex Ferguson would get the chance to re-acquaint himself with Bayern Munich coach Ottmar Hitzfeld. Unlike in the 1999 UEFA Champions League final Manchester United could not overcome the German giants and were beaten 1-0 at Old Trafford and 2-1 in the away leg.

The acquisition of the two big money buys, as well as Frenchman Laurent Blanc - a replacement for the departing Jaap Stam - seemed to lead Manchester United into adopting a slower European approach to playing football and in the Premier League the team's form dipped as a result and they finished the season in third place (the clubs worst position for eleven years), ten points behind winners Arsenal and three behind second placed Liverpool.

However Alex Ferguson's newly adopted style seemed to work pretty well in the UEFA Champions League as the club made it all the way to the semi-final stages, where they faced Bayer Leverkusen. United drew the first leg 2-2 at Old Trafford and in the second match a Roy Keane goal was not enough as United stumbled to a 1-1 draw, which meant they would be eliminated on away goals.

After trailing Arsenal - by some way - in the Championship race it seemd as though Manchester United would go another season without winning the League title. But after a superb post Christmas run, which saw The Reds winning 15 and drawing 3 of their last 18 games Alex Ferguson's side were crowned Champions of England when Arsenal were defeated at home by Leeds United on 4th May 2003.

In Alex Ferguson's favourite competiton, the Champions League Manchester United looked like strong candidates to lift the trophy after breezing through both of their groups. However, in the quarter-final - just like two years earlier - they would have to face the might of Real Madrid.

The first leg was played in Spain with The Galacticos running out 3-1 winners, this result left Manchester United with an almighty struggle to qualify for the semi-final. In the second leg at Old Trafford, although The Red Devils scored four goals - in a magnificent encounter - Alex Ferguson and the crowd were unfortunately treated by a one man show by Brazilian striker Ronaldo who walked a way from Manchester with the match ball as Real triumphed with 6-4 on aggregate.

Alex Ferguson didn't have too much luck in the League Cup either, although United made it too the final at Cardiff's Millenium Stadium, they suffered a 2-0 defeated at the hands of arch rivals Liverpool who triumphed with goals by Micheal Owen and Steven Gerrard.

After the departure of David Beckham many United fans were wondering who would replace the influential midfielder, but when The Reds took on Sporting Lisbon in a friendly match on 7th August 2003, little did the Stretford Enders know that a replacement was literally waiting in the wings. During the 3-1 defeat Manchester United's defence were ripped apart by an 18 year old winger from Madeira who went by the name of Cristiano Ronaldo . After the game United players and in particular John O'Shea - who was given the hardest time by the flyer - was so impressed by the youngster that they urged Sir Alex Ferguson to buy the sensation. A few days later Cristiano Ronaldo was signed by United in a £12.25m deal

Although the league season was far from impressive from the Manchester United point of view - as the club slumped to a third place finish finished - they did furnish the Old Trafford trophy cabinet with the F.A. Cup after demolishing Millwall 3-0 in the final with two goals from Ruud Van Nistelrooy and the other by winger Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Champions League campaign was one to forget for Alex Ferguson as Manchester United were contraversially knocked out by Jose Mourinho's FC Porto 3-2 on aggregate, after a clear Paul Scholes was wrongly ruled out for offside.

However, it wasn't until Newcastle United and Chelsea started sniffing around the young striker that Ferguson decided to act. The United boss wanted to give the player one more season at Everton before tempeting the Liverpoool based club with an offer, but with the interest shown in Rooney his hand was forced, and on the last day of the transfer window Manchester United signed the player for a fee of £31m depending on future performances.

Despite Ferguson's new acquisition his Manchester United side could only muster a 3rd place finish in the league and were also defeated in the League Cup semis and F.A. Cup final by Chelsea and Arseanl respectively; the latter result was a bitter pill to swallow as the Gunners were dominated by United for most of the game, but unfortunately for Ferguson his team could find the back of the opposition's charmed net and eventually lost the match 5-4 on penalties.

The 2004-2005 Champions League campaign saw new signing Wayne Rooney make a hat-trick scoring debut in 6-2 victory over Turkish outfit Fenerbahce. And although Manchester United qualified for the knock-out stages comfortably, they were defeated in the last 16 tie 2-0 on aggregate by Italians A.C. Milan, after losing both legs 1-0.

Although the 2005-2006 season saw Manchester United lift the League Cup in a 4-0 victory over Lancashire neighbours Wigan Athletic, it was pretty much one to forget from a Red's point of view. The club finished 8 points behind Champions Chelsea; were beaten by enemies Liverpool in the F.A. Cup and finished bottom of their group in the Champions League.

In the Champions League Manchester United's form improved considerably on that of the previous season. They finished top of a group consisting of Celtic, Copenhagen and SL Benfica, qualifying with one game to spare.

In the first knock-out stage the club would face French side Lille, and in a close encounter United ran out 2-0 winners on aggregate after securing 1-0 victories in both the home and away legs. For this win The Reds were handed a tricky tie with AS Roma.

In the first leg at Rome's Olympic Stadium ten man United were defeated by an impressive looking Roma side and although Manchester United were defeated they were pretty pleased that they managed to get an away goal. In the second leg - minus the suspended Paul Scholes - United started the game in electrifying style and within 20 minutes they found themselves leading the Italians 3-0 through goals by Michael Carrick, Alan Smith and Wayne Rooney. Alex Ferguson could not have dreamt for a better start. The goals didn't stop there, Ronaldo added a fourth just before half-time and then United's fifth and his second four minutes after the re-start. Roma didn't know what hit them and with Michael Carrick and Patrice Evra scoring The Reds 6th and 7th goals the demolition of the Roman's was complete.

Alex Ferguson's Roman slaying heroes were now through the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time in four seasons. But in order for them to reach the final in Athens they had to face the brilliant A.C. Milan with an injury hit defence. In the first leg at Old Trafford a superb showing by Brazilian Kaka saw the Italians drawing 2-2 with United, but in the dying seconds of the first leg Wayne Rooney got his second of the game to give his team a 3-2 win to take to the San Siro.

In the second game in Italy United's injury hit team were given a footballing lesson by the Rossoneri, as they slumped to a 3-0 defeat. Alex Ferguson was left ruing "the size" of his squad and vowed to go on a summer shopping spree to rectify the problem.

Alex Ferguson now knew his squad were capable of winning the UEFA Champions League. A feat which would be quite fitting due to the fact that, that very season marked the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster in which eight Busby Babes lost their lives.

In that years competition Manchester United stormed through their group of Roma, Sporting Lisbon and Dynamo Kiev with 16 points from a possible 18. The first knock-out round would see Alex Ferguson taking his team to France for the second season running, but this tme they faced a much trickier tie against perennial French Championship winners Lyon. In the the first leg away from home a goal by new boy Carlos Tevez earned Manchester United a valuable 1-1 draw to take back to Old Trafford. The second leg was another tight encounter a solitary Cristiano Ronaldo goal was enough to send The Reds into the quarter-final, where they faced AS Roma yet again.

After the first leg - away from home - was won 1-0 by a stunning Cristiano Ronaldo header Manchester United were firmly in the driving seat. The Reds were in determined mood for the return game and saw out the tie with a relatively comfortable 2-0 victory.

Alex Ferguson was ecstatic as his team made it to the semi-finals of the Champions League for the second year in succession. The team which stood in the way of Manchester United making it to only their third European cup final in their proud history was Catalan giants Barcelona. Although the Spaniards league form was poor that season they were welcoming back the injured Lionel Messi and any team who could boast of such players in their team were a formidble obstacle. After the first leg had ended goaless Alex Ferguson was fearing the worst as United failed to bag themselves an away goal after Ronaldo's penalty miss at the Nou Camp.

The second leg was an equally tight affair, but the Manchester United's fans fears were eased when Paul Scholes smashed a 30 yard screamer into the top corner of Victor Valdes' goal. After some scary moments late in the second half The Reds managed to hold onto their lead and book their place in Moscow's final.

In Moscow Manchester United would have to take on countrymen Chelsea in the first ever all English final in order to claim victory. On a rain soaked Russian evening Alex Ferguson's men made a very bright start and rewarded for their endevour when superb winger Ronaldo headed in a Wes Brown cross to net his 42 goal iof a magnificent season. Although United were leading they didn't rest on their laurels and pressed for second, but after missing two fantastic chances United were punished when a deflected shot by Chelsea's Michael Essien dropped kindly for Frank Lampard who knocked the ball passed the slipping Edwin Van Der Sar to net an un-deserved equaliser.

That goal seemed to knock the wind out of the young Manchester United side and could've went behind when Chelsea's Didier Drogba's 25 yard screamer smashed back of the post. After the 90 minutes had ended goaless the game went into extra-time. In an eventful last period Chelsea were reduced to ten men when Drogba slapped Nimanja Vidic. After Manchester United nearly won the game when Ryan Giggs shot was headed of the line by John Terry the game went to penalties.

In the shoot-out both teams scored their first two penalties and when the prolific Ronaldo stepped up to take United's third the whole world expected the Portugal star to give The Reds a 3-2 lead, but his powerful shot was saved by Chelsea keeper Petr Cech, which gave John Terry the chance to win it for the London side on the fifth spot kick. However it seems like the footballing gods were smiling down on Sir Alex Ferguson's side. When the Chelsea captain was about to strike his penalty he slipped on the wet turf and his wayward shot cannoned back of the post. When Ryan Giggs netted Manchester United's seventh penalty the former Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City striker had to score or The Red Devils would be crowned Champions of Europe. The player nervously stepped up and his penalty was superbly saved by Edwin Van Der Sar giving Alex Ferguson his second Champions League medal.

Not only were Manchester United dominant in Europes they controlled the league title race too. After hauling back long time leader Arsenal - who eventually finished 3rd - it was left for The Reds to fight off Chelsea to be crowned Champions of England for the 17th time in their history.

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