News | Ripple's Web

(CNN) — From a 2-0 defeat at Oxford United on November 6, 1986 to a English Premier League coronation party through the streets of Manchester on May 13.

Alex Ferguson’s 26-year reign at Manchester United has seen the club transformed from a sleeping giant to a relentless, trophy-winning juggernaut in both the football arena and the sports business world.

Following Wednesday’s announcement that the Scot, the most successful coach in English football history, will end his Old Trafford tenure, CNN marks seven moments which have defined Ferguson’s career.

Sacked by St Mirren

Ferguson’s managerial career has been littered with glorious highs, but it has not been without its lows, none more so than in 1978 when Ferguson was in charge of Scottish team St Mirren.

Alex Ferguson has announced he is retiring at the end of this season, having won his 13th English Premier League title in more than 26 years as manager of Manchester United.

The 71-year-old is the most successful and longest-serving manager in United’s history, having also won two European Champions League crowns, five FA Cups and four League Cups.

Ferguson survived a difficult first four years at Manchester United before winning a title — the 1990 FA Cup. Here he celebrates with Bryan Robson, who became the first United captain to lift the trophy three times after beating Crystal Palace 1-0 in the final replay.

Ferguson lifted the European Cup Winners’ Cup for the second time in his career in 1991, when United beat Barcelona 2-1 in the final. He had previously won the now defunct tournament with Scottish club Aberdeen.

In 1993, United won the English title for the first time in 26 years, and Ferguson took the club on a tour of South Africa, where he met Nelson Mandela before the ANC leader became the country’s first post-apartheid president.

Ferguson celebrates with his assistant Brian Kidd after United won the Premiership again in 1994, then went on to secure a domestic double by beating Chelsea in the FA Cup final. United repeated the feat in 1996.

Ferguson with his grandson Jake before the 1999 FA Cup final victory against Newcastle that sealed United’s third double in six years.

Just four days later, United completed a treble with an incredible last-gasp win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League final. Ferguson and keeper Peter Schmeichel hold the trophy in Barcelona.

Ferguson tried to retire more than a decade ago, announcing at the start of the 2001-02 season that it would be his last. However, he changed his mind the following February but United failed to reach the Champions League final — which was to be played in his native Glasgow.

Another European title followed in 2008, but Barcelona handed United disappointment in the 2009 and 2011 finals. However, Ferguson and his players still earned a parade the latter season after winning a record 19th English league title — the Scot’s 12th.

The next season, United commemorated Ferguson’s 25 years as manager on November 5, 2011.

As a player, Ferguson was a prolific goalscorer for Scottish clubs St. Johnstone and Dunfermline, but his big move to Glasgow Rangers in 1967 proved disappointing and he left two years later. He ended his playing days at Ayr in 1974 without winning a major honor.

Ferguson made his name as a manager at Aberdeen. His fourth Scottish Cup win in 1986 was his last success with the Dons, having won three Scottish league titles and the 1983 European Cup Winners’ Cup — beating mighty Real Madrid in the final.

Ferguson, who briefly managed Scotland at the 1986 World Cup, overhauled the squad at Old Trafford and introduced some of the finest players to grace the EPL in the past two decades.

Arguably the most important signing was that of French forward Eric Cantona, a $1.9 million bargain from Leeds who led United’s surge to dominance in the 1990s.

The 1993 addition of young midfielder Roy Keane in a then British record transfer fee of £3.75 million from Nottingham Forest provided United with a ferocious future captain.

Ferguson also introduced young talent such as David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and the Neville brothers Gary and Phil — who all went on to become integral members of his team.

Ferguson played a key role in resurrecting the career of Beckham, who had been vilified by England fans after being sent off during the 1998 World Cup defeat by Argentina.

Ferguson famously beat United’s rivals Manchester City to sign Giggs as a teenager, and the Welsh winger has repaid his faith by staying with the club until the present day.

Ferguson’s signing of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2003 paid off as the Portugal forward fired United to Champions League glory in 2008 and was named world player of the year — the first from the EPL to do so — before joining Real Madrid in a record $130 million deal.

Ferguson is well known for his fiery temper and his motivational skills.

In 2003, he infamously kicked a boot into the face of Beckham in the dressing room after a match, but refused to apologize. “If I’d tried it 100 times or million times, it wouldn’t happen again,” he said. “If it did, I would carry on playing.”

United striker Wayne Rooney said Ferguson’s team talk ahead of the 2008 Champions League final against Chelsea in Moscow “made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.” United denied the London side a first European title after a penalty shootout.

United reached the final again the following season, but lost to Barcelona. Here Ferguson speaks with Britain’s Prince William at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy.

Ferguson’s last match on the European stage was a defeat by Ronaldo’s Real Madrid in the Champions League Round of 16 second-leg match at Old Trafford on March 5, 2013.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

In pictures: The reign of Alex Ferguson

Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson announced he will retire at the end of the English Premier League season. Ferguson has managed the team for 26 years, making him the longest-serving manager in Premier League history.

Mike Krzyzewski, also known as Coach K, has coached Duke University’s men’s basketball team since 1980, putting him in his 33rd season as head coach.

Eddie Robinson served as Grambling State University’s head football coach for 57 seasons from 1941 to 1997. Robinson — here listening to the national anthem before his final game — coached more than 4,000 players.

Al Arbour coached the New York Islanders for 20 years, with a year-long stint as vice president of player development for the team in 1987.

Andy Landers has coached the University of Georgia Lady Bulldogs basketball team since 1979 and continues to this day.

Head coach emeritus Pat Summitt of the Tennessee Lady Volunteers is the all-time winningest coach in NCAA history of either men’s or women’s teams. She coached for 38 years before stepping down in 2012 to fight early onset dementia.

Gregg Popovich is in his 17th year as coach of the San Antonio Spurs.

Tom Landry coached the Dallas Cowboys from 1960 to 1988 and turned the team into one of the most dominant in the National Football League until the early ’80s.

Connie Mack managed the Philadelphia Athletics, now based in Oakland, California, from 1901 until his retirement at age 88 in 1950.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Photos: Longest-serving coaches in sports

Ferguson’s retirement ‘a sad day’

Alex Ferguson’s football legacy

He oversaw a remarkable upturn in St MIrren’s fortunes which saw the unheralded club win the second-tier of Scottish football in 1977 with a squad which bore classic hallmarks of a Ferguson team, notably his faith in young players. That St Mirren side had an average age of just 19.

But he was unceremoniously sacked by then St Mirren chairman Willie Todd for what he described as “breaches of contract” relating to the manager’s decision to join Aberdeen.

Read: “King” Ferguson may be out, but brand will survive

”I regret the fact Alex did not stay longer at St Mirren and I regret the circumstances of his departure, but I still believe that the club had no alternative,” Todd told Scottish newspaper the Herald in May 1999.

“There were no grudges. I’ve met him several times at football matches since then and our relationship is quite amicable.”

Aberdeen roll over Real Madrid

Ferguson was finally appointed as Aberdeen manager in June 1978 and unprecedented success followed for the Scottish club.

Alex Ferguson’s Man U trophies collection

Premier League: 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013

FA Cup: 1990, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004

League Cup: 1992, 2006, 2009, 2010

Champions League: 1999, 2008

Cup Winners Cup: 1991

Fifa Club World Cup: 2008

Uefa Super Cup: 1991

Inter-Continental Cup: 1999

FA Charity/Community Shield: 1990 (shared), 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011

He broke the duopoly of Glasgow Rangers and Celtic, guiding Aberdeen to three Scottish League titles in 1980, 1984 and 1985.

However, arguably Ferguson’s finest moment with Aberdeen was on the European stage.

Read: Manchester United’s Asian appeal

Following a Scottish Cup triumph in 1982, Aberdeen qualified for the European Cup Winners’ Cup.

Ferguson’s team reached the final, with a 3-2 quarterfinal second-leg victory over Bayern Munich one of the many highlights of an impressive campaign.

In the final, held in Gothenberg on May 11, 1983, Aberdeen faced Spanish giants Real Madrid, managed by the great Alfredo Di Stefano.

The match finished in a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes, before striker John Hewitt scored the winner for Aberdeen in extra-time.

Jock Stein’s death

One of the most poignant moments of Ferguson’s career arrived just over a year before he was appointed to the United job.

Ferguson was part of Jock Stein’s coaching staff with the Scottish national team ahead of a crucial 1986 World Cup qualifying match against Wales in Cardiff.

Scotland needed a point to reach the tournament in Mexico, which they duly acquired following a 1-1 draw.

But the match was overshadowed when Stein, the first British coach to win the European Cup with Celtic in 1967, collapsed after the final whistle.

“I grabbed for him as he started to fall,” Ferguson recalled, when talking to the Daily Mail in 2012. “The medics came out of the tunnel. I held him until he was helped inside.

“When I left to speak to the press I saw Graeme Souness and he was crying. ‘I think he’s gone,’ Graeme said. I couldn’t believe it.

“When we filed on to the bus there were thousands standing outside and the quiet sadness of the atmosphere was unforgettable. The abiding memory is of a solemn silence. It was as if the king had died.

“In football terms, the king had died.”

2012: Ferguson: ‘Racism still exists’

2012: Ferguson talks to CNN

Ferguson coached Scotland at the 1986 World Cup, but the team headed home after the first round following a group phase campaign which yielded just one point.

After watching the pressures of football get the better of his mentor, it raises the question of whether Stein’s death played a role in Ferguson’s decision to bow out on his own terms.

FA Cup redemption

After a trophy-laden spell at Pittodrie with Aberdeen, Ferguson headed south to join United in 1986, but his early days at Old Trafford were a world away from the glorious success he enjoyed in the 1990s and 2000s.

Two seasons passed without a trophy and after eight league games without a win, it was suggested Ferguson would be sacked if United lost an FA Cup replay against Nottingham Forest on January 7 1990 .

Substitute Mark Robins scored the winner to send United into the next round and, allegedly, save Fergie’s job.

Ferguson went on to mastermind a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace in an FA Cup final replay after the first match finished 3-3 to secure the Scot’s first trophy at Old Trafford.

The silverware continued to flow, with an English Premier League title — the club’s first in 26 years — arriving in 1993.

Deja vu?

Ferguson’s retirement was originally scheduled for 11 years ago. The Scot announced in 2001 that the forthcoming season would be his last, hoping his decision to break the news in advance would allow the club to make suitable succession plans.

But it had the opposite effect and, by November 2001, defending champions United sat ninth in the Premier League table.

By January 2002, after an eight-match winning run, United had risen to the top of the table and the next month Ferguson reversed his decision to retire from the game by signing a new three-year contract at Old Trafford.

Bobby Charlton: Ferguson’s best moment

Will Mourinho replace Ferguson?

The rest, as they say, is history. Six further English titles have followed, along with an FA Cup triumph and the Champions League in 2008.

The Flying Boot

In addition to the trophies and the accolades, there have been plenty of spats, with numerous star players feeling the heat of Ferguson’s infamous “hairdryer” treatment.

Notably when a “one in a million” flying boot caught David Beckham above the left eye, an incident which dominated the headlines like no other flare up between Ferguson and one of his charges.

Following a 2-0 FA Cup defeat to Arsenal in February 2003, Ferguson launched a tirade at his star midfielder which, according to Beckham’s autobiography, went along the lines of “David, what about the second goal? What were you doing? . . . We told you about it before the game. The problem with you is you don’t let anyone talk to you. You don’t listen’.

“I felt like I was being bullied in public,” explained Beckham, who now plays for Paris Saint-Germain. “I was being backed into a corner for no other reason than spite. I was trapped.”

Beckham swore at Ferguson and bedlam ensued.

“The boss took a step or two towards me,” Beckham continued. “There was a boot on the floor. He swung his leg and kicked it. At me? At the wall? It could have been anywhere, he was that angry now.

“I went for the gaffer. I don’t know if I’ve ever lost control like that before. Suddenly it was like some mad scene out of a gangster movie.”

Beckham’s teammates held him back, but after the incident, the then England captain appeared with a medical dressing over the cut above his eye.

“It was a freakish incident,” Ferguson reportedly said. “If I tried it 100 or a million times it couldn’t happen again. If I could I would have carried on playing!”

An increasingly tempestuous relationship between the two personalities came to an end on 1 July 2003, when Beckham left Manchester United to join Real Madrid.

Treble

May 26, 1999, was a night which simultaneously defied belief and defined Ferguson’s Manchester United reign.

United were chasing history. The league title had been wrapped up, beating Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal to the Premier League title by just one point.

FA Cup success followed. Goals from striker Teddy Sheringham and midfielder Paul Scholes secured a straight-forward 2-0 win over Newcastle United in the final at Wembley.

Ferguson’s team were one step away from securing an unprecedented Premier League, FA Cup and European Champions League treble.

United’s opponents in the European Cup final at Barcelona’s Nou Camp stadium were Bayern Munich and the Germans looked set to win the showpiece match after Mario Basler’s first-half free-kick put them 1-0 ahead.

In search of a way back into the match, Ferguson threw on substitutes Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

As the game ticked into extra-time, United earned a corner. Goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel raced forward in a desperate attempt to force an equalizer.

The initial cross was cleared, but the ball fell to Ryan Giggs whose low shot from the edge of the box was turned into the net by Sheringham.

Cue jubilant celebrations among United players, fans and coaching staff, but uncontained joy was to follow seconds later.

United earned another corner kick in the final seconds of injury time. Sheringham flicked on Beckham’s cross at the near post and Solskjaer flung his right leg at the header to send the ball flying into the back of the net.

Bayern were beaten, United had completed an historic treble.

As Ferguson remarked to ITV after the incredible climax, “football, bloody hell.”

Beijing (CNN) — Demonstrators braved a heavy police presence and the threat of arrest by massing Thursday in the streets of Kunming, China, to protest the planned construction of a chemical plant, they said.

“It was mostly a peaceful protest,” said an activist who asked to be identified only by his family name, Young. “We were singing the national anthem, shouting ‘Get out, refinery!’ together.”

He added, “We were scattered by the heavy police force in the area. I saw locals scuffling with police, people getting arrested and pulled away.”

Pollution an economic concern in China

On China: China’s role in climate change

On China: Governing pollution

China’s environmental challenges

Beijing (CNN) — Demonstrators braved a heavy police presence and the threat of arrest by massing Thursday in the streets of Kunming, China, to protest the planned construction of a chemical plant, they said.

“It was mostly a peaceful protest,” said an activist who asked to be identified only by his family name, Young. “We were singing the national anthem, shouting ‘Get out, refinery!’ together.”

He added, “We were scattered by the heavy police force in the area. I saw locals scuffling with police, people getting arrested and pulled away.”

Pollution an economic concern in China

On China: China’s role in climate change

On China: Governing pollution

China’s environmental challenges

Beijing (CNN) — Demonstrators braved a heavy police presence and the threat of arrest by massing Thursday in the streets of Kunming, China, to protest the planned construction of a chemical plant, they said.

“It was mostly a peaceful protest,” said an activist who asked to be identified only by his family name, Young. “We were singing the national anthem, shouting ‘Get out, refinery!’ together.”

He added, “We were scattered by the heavy police force in the area. I saw locals scuffling with police, people getting arrested and pulled away.”

Pollution an economic concern in China

On China: China’s role in climate change

On China: Governing pollution

China’s environmental challenges

Beijing (CNN) — Chinese security forces staged a massive crackdown in the center of a provincial capital city Thursday to prevent protests against the construction of a chemical plant, witnesses said.

Uniformed and plainclothes police deployed in downtown Kunming, residents and protesters said. The city is the capital of China’s southern Yunnan province.

Despite the enormous police presence and the threat of arrest, protesters gathered in Kunming’s streets.

Local government officials did not respond to CNN phone calls for comment.

Numerous photos posted on Chinese social media sites showed rows of uniformed and riot police surrounding groups of demonstrators.

The five activists who spoke to CNN asked not to be named for fear of reprisals from Chinese authorities.

“It was mostly a peaceful protest. We were singing the national anthem, shouting ‘get out, refinery!’ together,” said an activist who asked to be referred to by his family name, Young.

“We were scattered by the heavy police force in the area. I saw locals scuffling with police, people getting arrested and pulled away.”

The plant is a hot topic in the city, residents say.

“Every Kunming person cares about this issue,” said another Kunming native, a 50-year-old man who said he was blocked by rows of police from reaching the heart of the protest. “The police kept blocking off the protest, block by block.”

Demonstrators staged another street protest against the refinery this month.

The oil refinery and chemical plant would be built in Anning city, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) west of Kunming, according to Xinhua, China’s state news agency.

Opponents fear the chemical plant would produce tons of paraxylene, a carcinogenic chemical identified by the acronym PX.

Several days after the May 4 protest, the Kunming mayor joined executives from the state China National Petroleum Corp. and the Yuntianhua Group for a joint news conference.

“The government will call off the project if most of our citizens say no to it,” said Mayor Li Wenrong, according to Xinhua.

The provincial general manager of China National Petroleum Corp. has said the refinery will not use the chemical.

“The project has no PX facilities, nor will it produce PX products,” Hu Jingke said, according to Xinhua.

Kunming residents expressed deep distrust of government officials and the state-owned enterprises behind the refinery project.

Several said authorities took draconian measures in the days running up to Thursday’s protest in an attempt to prevent demonstrators from taking to the streets.

A 25-year-old Kunming native who asked to be identified as Claire told CNN that police detained and interrogated her for more than nine hours after she was caught distributing anti-refinery fliers on a city street Tuesday.

“I understand we need oil refineries,” Claire said in a phone interview. She said she opposed this one because “it’s just so close to the city and the fact that the whole process was not transparent and we’re not allowed to ask questions.”

Claire said police accused her of staging an “illegal gathering.”

As part of the interrogation, she said police took her to the print shop where she made copies of her fliers. Then they escorted her to her parents’ home, where they demanded her to erase files about the refinery from her computer. Finally, she said, they threatened her and banned her from attending Thursday’s protest.

“Basically, they’re saying if I have this on my record, I won’t get any government job or state-owned enterprise job,” Claire said.

Several other Kunming residents said students and employees of state-owned companies were warned before the day of the protest not to attend the demonstration.

“Kunming is a beautiful city, where we have cleaner air than any other cities in this country,” Young said.

“We fear the refinery will destroy the city’s natural environment, and we demanded to see the environmental impact assessment report of this project. But we were rejected by the government who told us it’s a ‘state secret.’ “

An executive from Yuntianhua, which also has a major stake in the chemical plant, told journalists that an environmental impact assessment for the project has not been completed, Xinhua said.

Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson announced he will retire at the end of the English Premier League season. Ferguson has managed the team for 26 years, making him the longest-serving manager in Premier League history.

Mike Krzyzewski, also known as Coach K, has coached Duke University’s men’s basketball team since 1980, putting him in his 33rd season as head coach.

Eddie Robinson served as Grambling State University’s head football coach for 57 seasons from 1941 to 1997. Robinson — here listening to the national anthem before his final game — coached more than 4,000 players.

Al Arbour coached the New York Islanders for 20 years, with a year-long stint as vice president of player development for the team in 1987.

Andy Landers has coached the University of Georgia Lady Bulldogs basketball team since 1979 and continues to this day.

Head coach emeritus Pat Summitt of the Tennessee Lady Volunteers is the all-time winningest coach in NCAA history of either men’s or women’s teams. She coached for 38 years before stepping down in 2012 to fight early onset dementia.

Gregg Popovich is in his 17th year as coach of the San Antonio Spurs.

Tom Landry coached the Dallas Cowboys from 1960 to 1988 and turned the team into one of the most dominant in the National Football League until the early ’80s.

Connie Mack managed the Philadelphia Athletics, now based in Oakland, California, from 1901 until his retirement at age 88 in 1950.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Photos: Longest-serving coaches in sports

How Ferguson inspires players

How to manage like Alex Ferguson

Ferguson’s retirement ‘a sad day’

Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson announced he will retire at the end of the English Premier League season. Ferguson has managed the team for 26 years, making him the longest-serving manager in Premier League history.

Mike Krzyzewski, also known as Coach K, has coached Duke University’s men’s basketball team since 1980, putting him in his 33rd season as head coach.

Eddie Robinson served as Grambling State University’s head football coach for 57 seasons from 1941 to 1997. Robinson — here listening to the national anthem before his final game — coached more than 4,000 players.

Al Arbour coached the New York Islanders for 20 years, with a year-long stint as vice president of player development for the team in 1987.

Andy Landers has coached the University of Georgia Lady Bulldogs basketball team since 1979 and continues to this day.

Head coach emeritus Pat Summitt of the Tennessee Lady Volunteers is the all-time winningest coach in NCAA history of either men’s or women’s teams. She coached for 38 years before stepping down in 2012 to fight early onset dementia.

Gregg Popovich is in his 17th year as coach of the San Antonio Spurs.

Tom Landry coached the Dallas Cowboys from 1960 to 1988 and turned the team into one of the most dominant in the National Football League until the early ’80s.

Connie Mack managed the Philadelphia Athletics, now based in Oakland, California, from 1901 until his retirement at age 88 in 1950.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Photos: Longest-serving coaches in sports

How Ferguson inspires players

How to manage like Alex Ferguson

Ferguson’s retirement ‘a sad day’

(CNN) — From a 2-0 defeat at Oxford United on November 6, 1986 to a English Premier League coronation party through the streets of Manchester on May 13.

Alex Ferguson’s 26-year reign at Manchester United has seen the club transformed from a sleeping giant to a relentless, trophy-winning juggernaut in both the football arena and the sports business world.

Following Wednesday’s announcement that the Scot, the most successful coach in English football history, will end his Old Trafford tenure, CNN marks seven moments which have defined Ferguson’s career.

Sacked by St Mirren

Ferguson’s managerial career has been littered with glorious highs, but it has not been without its lows, none more so than in 1978 when Ferguson was in charge of Scottish team St Mirren.

Alex Ferguson has announced he is retiring at the end of this season, having won his 13th English Premier League title in more than 26 years as manager of Manchester United.

The 71-year-old is the most successful and longest-serving manager in United’s history, having also won two European Champions League crowns, five FA Cups and four League Cups.

Ferguson survived a difficult first four years at Manchester United before winning a title — the 1990 FA Cup. Here he celebrates with Bryan Robson, who became the first United captain to lift the trophy three times after beating Crystal Palace 1-0 in the final replay.

Ferguson lifted the European Cup Winners’ Cup for the second time in his career in 1991, when United beat Barcelona 2-1 in the final. He had previously won the now defunct tournament with Scottish club Aberdeen.

In 1993, United won the English title for the first time in 26 years, and Ferguson took the club on a tour of South Africa, where he met Nelson Mandela before the ANC leader became the country’s first post-apartheid president.

Ferguson celebrates with his assistant Brian Kidd after United won the Premiership again in 1994, then went on to secure a domestic double by beating Chelsea in the FA Cup final. United repeated the feat in 1996.

Ferguson with his grandson Jake before the 1999 FA Cup final victory against Newcastle that sealed United’s third double in six years.

Just four days later, United completed a treble with an incredible last-gasp win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League final. Ferguson and keeper Peter Schmeichel hold the trophy in Barcelona.

Ferguson tried to retire more than a decade ago, announcing at the start of the 2001-02 season that it would be his last. However, he changed his mind the following February but United failed to reach the Champions League final — which was to be played in his native Glasgow.

Another European title followed in 2008, but Barcelona handed United disappointment in the 2009 and 2011 finals. However, Ferguson and his players still earned a parade the latter season after winning a record 19th English league title — the Scot’s 12th.

The next season, United commemorated Ferguson’s 25 years as manager on November 5, 2011.

As a player, Ferguson was a prolific goalscorer for Scottish clubs St. Johnstone and Dunfermline, but his big move to Glasgow Rangers in 1967 proved disappointing and he left two years later. He ended his playing days at Ayr in 1974 without winning a major honor.

Ferguson made his name as a manager at Aberdeen. His fourth Scottish Cup win in 1986 was his last success with the Dons, having won three Scottish league titles and the 1983 European Cup Winners’ Cup — beating mighty Real Madrid in the final.

Ferguson, who briefly managed Scotland at the 1986 World Cup, overhauled the squad at Old Trafford and introduced some of the finest players to grace the EPL in the past two decades.

Arguably the most important signing was that of French forward Eric Cantona, a $1.9 million bargain from Leeds who led United’s surge to dominance in the 1990s.

The 1993 addition of young midfielder Roy Keane in a then British record transfer fee of £3.75 million from Nottingham Forest provided United with a ferocious future captain.

Ferguson also introduced young talent such as David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and the Neville brothers Gary and Phil — who all went on to become integral members of his team.

Ferguson played a key role in resurrecting the career of Beckham, who had been vilified by England fans after being sent off during the 1998 World Cup defeat by Argentina.

Ferguson famously beat United’s rivals Manchester City to sign Giggs as a teenager, and the Welsh winger has repaid his faith by staying with the club until the present day.

Ferguson’s signing of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2003 paid off as the Portugal forward fired United to Champions League glory in 2008 and was named world player of the year — the first from the EPL to do so — before joining Real Madrid in a record $130 million deal.

Ferguson is well known for his fiery temper and his motivational skills.

In 2003, he infamously kicked a boot into the face of Beckham in the dressing room after a match, but refused to apologize. “If I’d tried it 100 times or million times, it wouldn’t happen again,” he said. “If it did, I would carry on playing.”

United striker Wayne Rooney said Ferguson’s team talk ahead of the 2008 Champions League final against Chelsea in Moscow “made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.” United denied the London side a first European title after a penalty shootout.

United reached the final again the following season, but lost to Barcelona. Here Ferguson speaks with Britain’s Prince William at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy.

Ferguson’s last match on the European stage was a defeat by Ronaldo’s Real Madrid in the Champions League Round of 16 second-leg match at Old Trafford on March 5, 2013.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

In pictures: The reign of Alex Ferguson

Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson announced he will retire at the end of the English Premier League season. Ferguson has managed the team for 26 years, making him the longest-serving manager in Premier League history.

Mike Krzyzewski, also known as Coach K, has coached Duke University’s men’s basketball team since 1980, putting him in his 33rd season as head coach.

Eddie Robinson served as Grambling State University’s head football coach for 57 seasons from 1941 to 1997. Robinson — here listening to the national anthem before his final game — coached more than 4,000 players.

Al Arbour coached the New York Islanders for 20 years, with a year-long stint as vice president of player development for the team in 1987.

Andy Landers has coached the University of Georgia Lady Bulldogs basketball team since 1979 and continues to this day.

Head coach emeritus Pat Summitt of the Tennessee Lady Volunteers is the all-time winningest coach in NCAA history of either men’s or women’s teams. She coached for 38 years before stepping down in 2012 to fight early onset dementia.

Gregg Popovich is in his 17th year as coach of the San Antonio Spurs.

Tom Landry coached the Dallas Cowboys from 1960 to 1988 and turned the team into one of the most dominant in the National Football League until the early ’80s.

Connie Mack managed the Philadelphia Athletics, now based in Oakland, California, from 1901 until his retirement at age 88 in 1950.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Photos: Longest-serving coaches in sports

Ferguson’s retirement ‘a sad day’

Alex Ferguson’s football legacy

He oversaw a remarkable upturn in St MIrren’s fortunes which saw the unheralded club win the second-tier of Scottish football in 1977 with a squad which bore classic hallmarks of a Ferguson team, notably his faith in young players. That St Mirren side had an average age of just 19.

But he was unceremoniously sacked by then St Mirren chairman Willie Todd for what he described as “breaches of contract” relating to the manager’s decision to join Aberdeen.

Read: “King” Ferguson may be out, but brand will survive

”I regret the fact Alex did not stay longer at St Mirren and I regret the circumstances of his departure, but I still believe that the club had no alternative,” Todd told Scottish newspaper the Herald in May 1999.

“There were no grudges. I’ve met him several times at football matches since then and our relationship is quite amicable.”

Aberdeen roll over Real Madrid

Ferguson was finally appointed as Aberdeen manager in June 1978 and unprecedented success followed for the Scottish club.

Alex Ferguson’s Man U trophies collection

Premier League: 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013

FA Cup: 1990, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004

League Cup: 1992, 2006, 2009, 2010

Champions League: 1999, 2008

Cup Winners Cup: 1991

Fifa Club World Cup: 2008

Uefa Super Cup: 1991

Inter-Continental Cup: 1999

FA Charity/Community Shield: 1990 (shared), 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011

He broke the duopoly of Glasgow Rangers and Celtic, guiding Aberdeen to three Scottish League titles in 1980, 1984 and 1985.

However, arguably Ferguson’s finest moment with Aberdeen was on the European stage.

Read: Manchester United’s Asian appeal

Following a Scottish Cup triumph in 1982, Aberdeen qualified for the European Cup Winners’ Cup.

Ferguson’s team reached the final, with a 3-2 quarterfinal second-leg victory over Bayern Munich one of the many highlights of an impressive campaign.

In the final, held in Gothenberg on May 11, 1983, Aberdeen faced Spanish giants Real Madrid, managed by the great Alfredo Di Stefano.

The match finished in a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes, before striker John Hewitt scored the winner for Aberdeen in extra-time.

Jock Stein’s death

One of the most poignant moments of Ferguson’s career arrived just over a year before he was appointed to the United job.

Ferguson was part of Jock Stein’s coaching staff with the Scottish national team ahead of a crucial 1986 World Cup qualifying match against Wales in Cardiff.

Scotland needed a point to reach the tournament in Mexico, which they duly acquired following a 1-1 draw.

But the match was overshadowed when Stein, the first British coach to win the European Cup with Celtic in 1967, collapsed after the final whistle.

“I grabbed for him as he started to fall,” Ferguson recalled, when talking to the Daily Mail in 2012. “The medics came out of the tunnel. I held him until he was helped inside.

“When I left to speak to the press I saw Graeme Souness and he was crying. ‘I think he’s gone,’ Graeme said. I couldn’t believe it.

“When we filed on to the bus there were thousands standing outside and the quiet sadness of the atmosphere was unforgettable. The abiding memory is of a solemn silence. It was as if the king had died.

“In football terms, the king had died.”

2012: Ferguson: ‘Racism still exists’

2012: Ferguson talks to CNN

Ferguson coached Scotland at the 1986 World Cup, but the team headed home after the first round following a group phase campaign which yielded just one point.

After watching the pressures of football get the better of his mentor, it raises the question of whether Stein’s death played a role in Ferguson’s decision to bow out on his own terms.

FA Cup redemption

After a trophy-laden spell at Pittodrie with Aberdeen, Ferguson headed south to join United in 1986, but his early days at Old Trafford were a world away from the glorious success he enjoyed in the 1990s and 2000s.

Two seasons passed without a trophy and after eight league games without a win, it was suggested Ferguson would be sacked if United lost an FA Cup replay against Nottingham Forest on January 7 1990 .

Substitute Mark Robins scored the winner to send United into the next round and, allegedly, save Fergie’s job.

Ferguson went on to mastermind a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace in an FA Cup final replay after the first match finished 3-3 to secure the Scot’s first trophy at Old Trafford.

The silverware continued to flow, with an English Premier League title — the club’s first in 26 years — arriving in 1993.

Deja vu?

Ferguson’s retirement was originally scheduled for 11 years ago. The Scot announced in 2001 that the forthcoming season would be his last, hoping his decision to break the news in advance would allow the club to make suitable succession plans.

But it had the opposite effect and, by November 2001, defending champions United sat ninth in the Premier League table.

By January 2002, after an eight-match winning run, United had risen to the top of the table and the next month Ferguson reversed his decision to retire from the game by signing a new three-year contract at Old Trafford.

Bobby Charlton: Ferguson’s best moment

Will Mourinho replace Ferguson?

The rest, as they say, is history. Six further English titles have followed, along with an FA Cup triumph and the Champions League in 2008.

The Flying Boot

In addition to the trophies and the accolades, there have been plenty of spats, with numerous star players feeling the heat of Ferguson’s infamous “hairdryer” treatment.

Notably when a “one in a million” flying boot caught David Beckham above the left eye, an incident which dominated the headlines like no other flare up between Ferguson and one of his charges.

Following a 2-0 FA Cup defeat to Arsenal in February 2003, Ferguson launched a tirade at his star midfielder which, according to Beckham’s autobiography, went along the lines of “David, what about the second goal? What were you doing? . . . We told you about it before the game. The problem with you is you don’t let anyone talk to you. You don’t listen’.

“I felt like I was being bullied in public,” explained Beckham, who now plays for Paris Saint-Germain. “I was being backed into a corner for no other reason than spite. I was trapped.”

Beckham swore at Ferguson and bedlam ensued.

“The boss took a step or two towards me,” Beckham continued. “There was a boot on the floor. He swung his leg and kicked it. At me? At the wall? It could have been anywhere, he was that angry now.

“I went for the gaffer. I don’t know if I’ve ever lost control like that before. Suddenly it was like some mad scene out of a gangster movie.”

Beckham’s teammates held him back, but after the incident, the then England captain appeared with a medical dressing over the cut above his eye.

“It was a freakish incident,” Ferguson reportedly said. “If I tried it 100 or a million times it couldn’t happen again. If I could I would have carried on playing!”

An increasingly tempestuous relationship between the two personalities came to an end on 1 July 2003, when Beckham left Manchester United to join Real Madrid.

Treble

May 26, 1999, was a night which simultaneously defied belief and defined Ferguson’s Manchester United reign.

United were chasing history. The league title had been wrapped up, beating Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal to the Premier League title by just one point.

FA Cup success followed. Goals from striker Teddy Sheringham and midfielder Paul Scholes secured a straight-forward 2-0 win over Newcastle United in the final at Wembley.

Ferguson’s team were one step away from securing an unprecedented Premier League, FA Cup and European Champions League treble.

United’s opponents in the European Cup final at Barcelona’s Nou Camp stadium were Bayern Munich and the Germans looked set to win the showpiece match after Mario Basler’s first-half free-kick put them 1-0 ahead.

In search of a way back into the match, Ferguson threw on substitutes Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

As the game ticked into extra-time, United earned a corner. Goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel raced forward in a desperate attempt to force an equalizer.

The initial cross was cleared, but the ball fell to Ryan Giggs whose low shot from the edge of the box was turned into the net by Sheringham.

Cue jubilant celebrations among United players, fans and coaching staff, but uncontained joy was to follow seconds later.

United earned another corner kick in the final seconds of injury time. Sheringham flicked on Beckham’s cross at the near post and Solskjaer flung his right leg at the header to send the ball flying into the back of the net.

Bayern were beaten, United had completed an historic treble.

As Ferguson remarked to ITV after the incredible climax, “football, bloody hell.”

(CNN) — From a 2-0 defeat at Oxford United on November 6, 1986 to a English Premier League coronation party through the streets of Manchester on May 13.

Alex Ferguson’s 26-year reign at Manchester United has seen the club transformed from a sleeping giant to a relentless, trophy-winning juggernaut in both the football arena and the sports business world.

Following Wednesday’s announcement that the Scot, the most successful coach in English football history, will end his Old Trafford tenure, CNN marks seven moments which have defined Ferguson’s career.

Sacked by St Mirren

Ferguson’s managerial career has been littered with glorious highs, but it has not been without its lows, none more so than in 1978 when Ferguson was in charge of Scottish team St Mirren.

Alex Ferguson has announced he is retiring at the end of this season, having won his 13th English Premier League title in more than 26 years as manager of Manchester United.

The 71-year-old is the most successful and longest-serving manager in United’s history, having also won two European Champions League crowns, five FA Cups and four League Cups.

Ferguson survived a difficult first four years at Manchester United before winning a title — the 1990 FA Cup. Here he celebrates with Bryan Robson, who became the first United captain to lift the trophy three times after beating Crystal Palace 1-0 in the final replay.

Ferguson lifted the European Cup Winners’ Cup for the second time in his career in 1991, when United beat Barcelona 2-1 in the final. He had previously won the now defunct tournament with Scottish club Aberdeen.

In 1993, United won the English title for the first time in 26 years, and Ferguson took the club on a tour of South Africa, where he met Nelson Mandela before the ANC leader became the country’s first post-apartheid president.

Ferguson celebrates with his assistant Brian Kidd after United won the Premiership again in 1994, then went on to secure a domestic double by beating Chelsea in the FA Cup final. United repeated the feat in 1996.

Ferguson with his grandson Jake before the 1999 FA Cup final victory against Newcastle that sealed United’s third double in six years.

Just four days later, United completed a treble with an incredible last-gasp win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League final. Ferguson and keeper Peter Schmeichel hold the trophy in Barcelona.

Ferguson tried to retire more than a decade ago, announcing at the start of the 2001-02 season that it would be his last. However, he changed his mind the following February but United failed to reach the Champions League final — which was to be played in his native Glasgow.

Another European title followed in 2008, but Barcelona handed United disappointment in the 2009 and 2011 finals. However, Ferguson and his players still earned a parade the latter season after winning a record 19th English league title — the Scot’s 12th.

The next season, United commemorated Ferguson’s 25 years as manager on November 5, 2011.

As a player, Ferguson was a prolific goalscorer for Scottish clubs St. Johnstone and Dunfermline, but his big move to Glasgow Rangers in 1967 proved disappointing and he left two years later. He ended his playing days at Ayr in 1974 without winning a major honor.

Ferguson made his name as a manager at Aberdeen. His fourth Scottish Cup win in 1986 was his last success with the Dons, having won three Scottish league titles and the 1983 European Cup Winners’ Cup — beating mighty Real Madrid in the final.

Ferguson, who briefly managed Scotland at the 1986 World Cup, overhauled the squad at Old Trafford and introduced some of the finest players to grace the EPL in the past two decades.

Arguably the most important signing was that of French forward Eric Cantona, a $1.9 million bargain from Leeds who led United’s surge to dominance in the 1990s.

The 1993 addition of young midfielder Roy Keane in a then British record transfer fee of £3.75 million from Nottingham Forest provided United with a ferocious future captain.

Ferguson also introduced young talent such as David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and the Neville brothers Gary and Phil — who all went on to become integral members of his team.

Ferguson played a key role in resurrecting the career of Beckham, who had been vilified by England fans after being sent off during the 1998 World Cup defeat by Argentina.

Ferguson famously beat United’s rivals Manchester City to sign Giggs as a teenager, and the Welsh winger has repaid his faith by staying with the club until the present day.

Ferguson’s signing of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2003 paid off as the Portugal forward fired United to Champions League glory in 2008 and was named world player of the year — the first from the EPL to do so — before joining Real Madrid in a record $130 million deal.

Ferguson is well known for his fiery temper and his motivational skills.

In 2003, he infamously kicked a boot into the face of Beckham in the dressing room after a match, but refused to apologize. “If I’d tried it 100 times or million times, it wouldn’t happen again,” he said. “If it did, I would carry on playing.”

United striker Wayne Rooney said Ferguson’s team talk ahead of the 2008 Champions League final against Chelsea in Moscow “made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.” United denied the London side a first European title after a penalty shootout.

United reached the final again the following season, but lost to Barcelona. Here Ferguson speaks with Britain’s Prince William at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy.

Ferguson’s last match on the European stage was a defeat by Ronaldo’s Real Madrid in the Champions League Round of 16 second-leg match at Old Trafford on March 5, 2013.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

In pictures: The reign of Alex Ferguson

Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson announced he will retire at the end of the English Premier League season. Ferguson has managed the team for 26 years, making him the longest-serving manager in Premier League history.

Mike Krzyzewski, also known as Coach K, has coached Duke University’s men’s basketball team since 1980, putting him in his 33rd season as head coach.

Eddie Robinson served as Grambling State University’s head football coach for 57 seasons from 1941 to 1997. Robinson — here listening to the national anthem before his final game — coached more than 4,000 players.

Al Arbour coached the New York Islanders for 20 years, with a year-long stint as vice president of player development for the team in 1987.

Andy Landers has coached the University of Georgia Lady Bulldogs basketball team since 1979 and continues to this day.

Head coach emeritus Pat Summitt of the Tennessee Lady Volunteers is the all-time winningest coach in NCAA history of either men’s or women’s teams. She coached for 38 years before stepping down in 2012 to fight early onset dementia.

Gregg Popovich is in his 17th year as coach of the San Antonio Spurs.

Tom Landry coached the Dallas Cowboys from 1960 to 1988 and turned the team into one of the most dominant in the National Football League until the early ’80s.

Connie Mack managed the Philadelphia Athletics, now based in Oakland, California, from 1901 until his retirement at age 88 in 1950.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Photos: Longest-serving coaches in sports

Ferguson’s retirement ‘a sad day’

Alex Ferguson’s football legacy

He oversaw a remarkable upturn in St MIrren’s fortunes which saw the unheralded club win the second-tier of Scottish football in 1977 with a squad which bore classic hallmarks of a Ferguson team, notably his faith in young players. That St Mirren side had an average age of just 19.

But he was unceremoniously sacked by then St Mirren chairman Willie Todd for what he described as “breaches of contract” relating to the manager’s decision to join Aberdeen.

Read: “King” Ferguson may be out, but brand will survive

”I regret the fact Alex did not stay longer at St Mirren and I regret the circumstances of his departure, but I still believe that the club had no alternative,” Todd told Scottish newspaper the Herald in May 1999.

“There were no grudges. I’ve met him several times at football matches since then and our relationship is quite amicable.”

Aberdeen roll over Real Madrid

Ferguson was finally appointed as Aberdeen manager in June 1978 and unprecedented success followed for the Scottish club.

Alex Ferguson’s Man U trophies collection

Premier League: 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013

FA Cup: 1990, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004

League Cup: 1992, 2006, 2009, 2010

Champions League: 1999, 2008

Cup Winners Cup: 1991

Fifa Club World Cup: 2008

Uefa Super Cup: 1991

Inter-Continental Cup: 1999

FA Charity/Community Shield: 1990 (shared), 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011

He broke the duopoly of Glasgow Rangers and Celtic, guiding Aberdeen to three Scottish League titles in 1980, 1984 and 1985.

However, arguably Ferguson’s finest moment with Aberdeen was on the European stage.

Read: Manchester United’s Asian appeal

Following a Scottish Cup triumph in 1982, Aberdeen qualified for the European Cup Winners’ Cup.

Ferguson’s team reached the final, with a 3-2 quarterfinal second-leg victory over Bayern Munich one of the many highlights of an impressive campaign.

In the final, held in Gothenberg on May 11, 1983, Aberdeen faced Spanish giants Real Madrid, managed by the great Alfredo Di Stefano.

The match finished in a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes, before striker John Hewitt scored the winner for Aberdeen in extra-time.

Jock Stein’s death

One of the most poignant moments of Ferguson’s career arrived just over a year before he was appointed to the United job.

Ferguson was part of Jock Stein’s coaching staff with the Scottish national team ahead of a crucial 1986 World Cup qualifying match against Wales in Cardiff.

Scotland needed a point to reach the tournament in Mexico, which they duly acquired following a 1-1 draw.

But the match was overshadowed when Stein, the first British coach to win the European Cup with Celtic in 1967, collapsed after the final whistle.

“I grabbed for him as he started to fall,” Ferguson recalled, when talking to the Daily Mail in 2012. “The medics came out of the tunnel. I held him until he was helped inside.

“When I left to speak to the press I saw Graeme Souness and he was crying. ‘I think he’s gone,’ Graeme said. I couldn’t believe it.

“When we filed on to the bus there were thousands standing outside and the quiet sadness of the atmosphere was unforgettable. The abiding memory is of a solemn silence. It was as if the king had died.

“In football terms, the king had died.”

2012: Ferguson: ‘Racism still exists’

2012: Ferguson talks to CNN

Ferguson coached Scotland at the 1986 World Cup, but the team headed home after the first round following a group phase campaign which yielded just one point.

After watching the pressures of football get the better of his mentor, it raises the question of whether Stein’s death played a role in Ferguson’s decision to bow out on his own terms.

FA Cup redemption

After a trophy-laden spell at Pittodrie with Aberdeen, Ferguson headed south to join United in 1986, but his early days at Old Trafford were a world away from the glorious success he enjoyed in the 1990s and 2000s.

Two seasons passed without a trophy and after eight league games without a win, it was suggested Ferguson would be sacked if United lost an FA Cup replay against Nottingham Forest on January 7 1990 .

Substitute Mark Robins scored the winner to send United into the next round and, allegedly, save Fergie’s job.

Ferguson went on to mastermind a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace in an FA Cup final replay after the first match finished 3-3 to secure the Scot’s first trophy at Old Trafford.

The silverware continued to flow, with an English Premier League title — the club’s first in 26 years — arriving in 1993.

Deja vu?

Ferguson’s retirement was originally scheduled for 11 years ago. The Scot announced in 2001 that the forthcoming season would be his last, hoping his decision to break the news in advance would allow the club to make suitable succession plans.

But it had the opposite effect and, by November 2001, defending champions United sat ninth in the Premier League table.

By January 2002, after an eight-match winning run, United had risen to the top of the table and the next month Ferguson reversed his decision to retire from the game by signing a new three-year contract at Old Trafford.

Bobby Charlton: Ferguson’s best moment

Will Mourinho replace Ferguson?

The rest, as they say, is history. Six further English titles have followed, along with an FA Cup triumph and the Champions League in 2008.

The Flying Boot

In addition to the trophies and the accolades, there have been plenty of spats, with numerous star players feeling the heat of Ferguson’s infamous “hairdryer” treatment.

Notably when a “one in a million” flying boot caught David Beckham above the left eye, an incident which dominated the headlines like no other flare up between Ferguson and one of his charges.

Following a 2-0 FA Cup defeat to Arsenal in February 2003, Ferguson launched a tirade at his star midfielder which, according to Beckham’s autobiography, went along the lines of “David, what about the second goal? What were you doing? . . . We told you about it before the game. The problem with you is you don’t let anyone talk to you. You don’t listen’.

“I felt like I was being bullied in public,” explained Beckham, who now plays for Paris Saint-Germain. “I was being backed into a corner for no other reason than spite. I was trapped.”

Beckham swore at Ferguson and bedlam ensued.

“The boss took a step or two towards me,” Beckham continued. “There was a boot on the floor. He swung his leg and kicked it. At me? At the wall? It could have been anywhere, he was that angry now.

“I went for the gaffer. I don’t know if I’ve ever lost control like that before. Suddenly it was like some mad scene out of a gangster movie.”

Beckham’s teammates held him back, but after the incident, the then England captain appeared with a medical dressing over the cut above his eye.

“It was a freakish incident,” Ferguson reportedly said. “If I tried it 100 or a million times it couldn’t happen again. If I could I would have carried on playing!”

An increasingly tempestuous relationship between the two personalities came to an end on 1 July 2003, when Beckham left Manchester United to join Real Madrid.

Treble

May 26, 1999, was a night which simultaneously defied belief and defined Ferguson’s Manchester United reign.

United were chasing history. The league title had been wrapped up, beating Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal to the Premier League title by just one point.

FA Cup success followed. Goals from striker Teddy Sheringham and midfielder Paul Scholes secured a straight-forward 2-0 win over Newcastle United in the final at Wembley.

Ferguson’s team were one step away from securing an unprecedented Premier League, FA Cup and European Champions League treble.

United’s opponents in the European Cup final at Barcelona’s Nou Camp stadium were Bayern Munich and the Germans looked set to win the showpiece match after Mario Basler’s first-half free-kick put them 1-0 ahead.

In search of a way back into the match, Ferguson threw on substitutes Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

As the game ticked into extra-time, United earned a corner. Goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel raced forward in a desperate attempt to force an equalizer.

The initial cross was cleared, but the ball fell to Ryan Giggs whose low shot from the edge of the box was turned into the net by Sheringham.

Cue jubilant celebrations among United players, fans and coaching staff, but uncontained joy was to follow seconds later.

United earned another corner kick in the final seconds of injury time. Sheringham flicked on Beckham’s cross at the near post and Solskjaer flung his right leg at the header to send the ball flying into the back of the net.

Bayern were beaten, United had completed an historic treble.

As Ferguson remarked to ITV after the incredible climax, “football, bloody hell.”

(CNN) — From a 2-0 defeat at Oxford United on November 6, 1986 to a English Premier League coronation party through the streets of Manchester on May 13.

Alex Ferguson’s 26-year reign at Manchester United has seen the club transformed from a sleeping giant to a relentless, trophy-winning juggernaut in both the football arena and the sports business world.

Following Wednesday’s announcement that the Scot, the most successful coach in English football history, will end his Old Trafford tenure, CNN marks seven moments which have defined Ferguson’s career.

Sacked by St Mirren

Ferguson’s managerial career has been littered with glorious highs, but it has not been without its lows, none more so than in 1978 when Ferguson was in charge of Scottish team St Mirren.

Alex Ferguson has announced he is retiring at the end of this season, having won his 13th English Premier League title in more than 26 years as manager of Manchester United.

The 71-year-old is the most successful and longest-serving manager in United’s history, having also won two European Champions League crowns, five FA Cups and four League Cups.

Ferguson survived a difficult first four years at Manchester United before winning a title — the 1990 FA Cup. Here he celebrates with Bryan Robson, who became the first United captain to lift the trophy three times after beating Crystal Palace 1-0 in the final replay.

Ferguson lifted the European Cup Winners’ Cup for the second time in his career in 1991, when United beat Barcelona 2-1 in the final. He had previously won the now defunct tournament with Scottish club Aberdeen.

In 1993, United won the English title for the first time in 26 years, and Ferguson took the club on a tour of South Africa, where he met Nelson Mandela before the ANC leader became the country’s first post-apartheid president.

Ferguson celebrates with his assistant Brian Kidd after United won the Premiership again in 1994, then went on to secure a domestic double by beating Chelsea in the FA Cup final. United repeated the feat in 1996.

Ferguson with his grandson Jake before the 1999 FA Cup final victory against Newcastle that sealed United’s third double in six years.

Just four days later, United completed a treble with an incredible last-gasp win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League final. Ferguson and keeper Peter Schmeichel hold the trophy in Barcelona.

Ferguson tried to retire more than a decade ago, announcing at the start of the 2001-02 season that it would be his last. However, he changed his mind the following February but United failed to reach the Champions League final — which was to be played in his native Glasgow.

Another European title followed in 2008, but Barcelona handed United disappointment in the 2009 and 2011 finals. However, Ferguson and his players still earned a parade the latter season after winning a record 19th English league title — the Scot’s 12th.

The next season, United commemorated Ferguson’s 25 years as manager on November 5, 2011.

As a player, Ferguson was a prolific goalscorer for Scottish clubs St. Johnstone and Dunfermline, but his big move to Glasgow Rangers in 1967 proved disappointing and he left two years later. He ended his playing days at Ayr in 1974 without winning a major honor.

Ferguson made his name as a manager at Aberdeen. His fourth Scottish Cup win in 1986 was his last success with the Dons, having won three Scottish league titles and the 1983 European Cup Winners’ Cup — beating mighty Real Madrid in the final.

Ferguson, who briefly managed Scotland at the 1986 World Cup, overhauled the squad at Old Trafford and introduced some of the finest players to grace the EPL in the past two decades.

Arguably the most important signing was that of French forward Eric Cantona, a $1.9 million bargain from Leeds who led United’s surge to dominance in the 1990s.

The 1993 addition of young midfielder Roy Keane in a then British record transfer fee of £3.75 million from Nottingham Forest provided United with a ferocious future captain.

Ferguson also introduced young talent such as David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and the Neville brothers Gary and Phil — who all went on to become integral members of his team.

Ferguson played a key role in resurrecting the career of Beckham, who had been vilified by England fans after being sent off during the 1998 World Cup defeat by Argentina.

Ferguson famously beat United’s rivals Manchester City to sign Giggs as a teenager, and the Welsh winger has repaid his faith by staying with the club until the present day.

Ferguson’s signing of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2003 paid off as the Portugal forward fired United to Champions League glory in 2008 and was named world player of the year — the first from the EPL to do so — before joining Real Madrid in a record $130 million deal.

Ferguson is well known for his fiery temper and his motivational skills.

In 2003, he infamously kicked a boot into the face of Beckham in the dressing room after a match, but refused to apologize. “If I’d tried it 100 times or million times, it wouldn’t happen again,” he said. “If it did, I would carry on playing.”

United striker Wayne Rooney said Ferguson’s team talk ahead of the 2008 Champions League final against Chelsea in Moscow “made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.” United denied the London side a first European title after a penalty shootout.

United reached the final again the following season, but lost to Barcelona. Here Ferguson speaks with Britain’s Prince William at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy.

Ferguson’s last match on the European stage was a defeat by Ronaldo’s Real Madrid in the Champions League Round of 16 second-leg match at Old Trafford on March 5, 2013.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

In pictures: The reign of Alex Ferguson

Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson announced he will retire at the end of the English Premier League season. Ferguson has managed the team for 26 years, making him the longest-serving manager in Premier League history.

Mike Krzyzewski, also known as Coach K, has coached Duke University’s men’s basketball team since 1980, putting him in his 33rd season as head coach.

Eddie Robinson served as Grambling State University’s head football coach for 57 seasons from 1941 to 1997. Robinson — here listening to the national anthem before his final game — coached more than 4,000 players.

Al Arbour coached the New York Islanders for 20 years, with a year-long stint as vice president of player development for the team in 1987.

Andy Landers has coached the University of Georgia Lady Bulldogs basketball team since 1979 and continues to this day.

Head coach emeritus Pat Summitt of the Tennessee Lady Volunteers is the all-time winningest coach in NCAA history of either men’s or women’s teams. She coached for 38 years before stepping down in 2012 to fight early onset dementia.

Gregg Popovich is in his 17th year as coach of the San Antonio Spurs.

Tom Landry coached the Dallas Cowboys from 1960 to 1988 and turned the team into one of the most dominant in the National Football League until the early ’80s.

Connie Mack managed the Philadelphia Athletics, now based in Oakland, California, from 1901 until his retirement at age 88 in 1950.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Photos: Longest-serving coaches in sports

Ferguson’s retirement ‘a sad day’

Alex Ferguson’s football legacy

He oversaw a remarkable upturn in St MIrren’s fortunes which saw the unheralded club win the second-tier of Scottish football in 1977 with a squad which bore classic hallmarks of a Ferguson team, notably his faith in young players. That St Mirren side had an average age of just 19.

But he was unceremoniously sacked by then St Mirren chairman Willie Todd for what he described as “breaches of contract” relating to the manager’s decision to join Aberdeen.

Read: “King” Ferguson may be out, but brand will survive

”I regret the fact Alex did not stay longer at St Mirren and I regret the circumstances of his departure, but I still believe that the club had no alternative,” Todd told Scottish newspaper the Herald in May 1999.

“There were no grudges. I’ve met him several times at football matches since then and our relationship is quite amicable.”

Aberdeen roll over Real Madrid

Ferguson was finally appointed as Aberdeen manager in June 1978 and unprecedented success followed for the Scottish club.

Alex Ferguson’s Man U trophies collection

Premier League: 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013

FA Cup: 1990, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004

League Cup: 1992, 2006, 2009, 2010

Champions League: 1999, 2008

Cup Winners Cup: 1991

Fifa Club World Cup: 2008

Uefa Super Cup: 1991

Inter-Continental Cup: 1999

FA Charity/Community Shield: 1990 (shared), 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011

He broke the duopoly of Glasgow Rangers and Celtic, guiding Aberdeen to three Scottish League titles in 1980, 1984 and 1985.

However, arguably Ferguson’s finest moment with Aberdeen was on the European stage.

Read: Manchester United’s Asian appeal

Following a Scottish Cup triumph in 1982, Aberdeen qualified for the European Cup Winners’ Cup.

Ferguson’s team reached the final, with a 3-2 quarterfinal second-leg victory over Bayern Munich one of the many highlights of an impressive campaign.

In the final, held in Gothenberg on May 11, 1983, Aberdeen faced Spanish giants Real Madrid, managed by the great Alfredo Di Stefano.

The match finished in a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes, before striker John Hewitt scored the winner for Aberdeen in extra-time.

Jock Stein’s death

One of the most poignant moments of Ferguson’s career arrived just over a year before he was appointed to the United job.

Ferguson was part of Jock Stein’s coaching staff with the Scottish national team ahead of a crucial 1986 World Cup qualifying match against Wales in Cardiff.

Scotland needed a point to reach the tournament in Mexico, which they duly acquired following a 1-1 draw.

But the match was overshadowed when Stein, the first British coach to win the European Cup with Celtic in 1967, collapsed after the final whistle.

“I grabbed for him as he started to fall,” Ferguson recalled, when talking to the Daily Mail in 2012. “The medics came out of the tunnel. I held him until he was helped inside.

“When I left to speak to the press I saw Graeme Souness and he was crying. ‘I think he’s gone,’ Graeme said. I couldn’t believe it.

“When we filed on to the bus there were thousands standing outside and the quiet sadness of the atmosphere was unforgettable. The abiding memory is of a solemn silence. It was as if the king had died.

“In football terms, the king had died.”

2012: Ferguson: ‘Racism still exists’

2012: Ferguson talks to CNN

Ferguson coached Scotland at the 1986 World Cup, but the team headed home after the first round following a group phase campaign which yielded just one point.

After watching the pressures of football get the better of his mentor, it raises the question of whether Stein’s death played a role in Ferguson’s decision to bow out on his own terms.

FA Cup redemption

After a trophy-laden spell at Pittodrie with Aberdeen, Ferguson headed south to join United in 1986, but his early days at Old Trafford were a world away from the glorious success he enjoyed in the 1990s and 2000s.

Two seasons passed without a trophy and after eight league games without a win, it was suggested Ferguson would be sacked if United lost an FA Cup replay against Nottingham Forest on January 7 1990 .

Substitute Mark Robins scored the winner to send United into the next round and, allegedly, save Fergie’s job.

Ferguson went on to mastermind a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace in an FA Cup final replay after the first match finished 3-3 to secure the Scot’s first trophy at Old Trafford.

The silverware continued to flow, with an English Premier League title — the club’s first in 26 years — arriving in 1993.

Deja vu?

Ferguson’s retirement was originally scheduled for 11 years ago. The Scot announced in 2001 that the forthcoming season would be his last, hoping his decision to break the news in advance would allow the club to make suitable succession plans.

But it had the opposite effect and, by November 2001, defending champions United sat ninth in the Premier League table.

By January 2002, after an eight-match winning run, United had risen to the top of the table and the next month Ferguson reversed his decision to retire from the game by signing a new three-year contract at Old Trafford.

Bobby Charlton: Ferguson’s best moment

Will Mourinho replace Ferguson?

The rest, as they say, is history. Six further English titles have followed, along with an FA Cup triumph and the Champions League in 2008.

The Flying Boot

In addition to the trophies and the accolades, there have been plenty of spats, with numerous star players feeling the heat of Ferguson’s infamous “hairdryer” treatment.

Notably when a “one in a million” flying boot caught David Beckham above the left eye, an incident which dominated the headlines like no other flare up between Ferguson and one of his charges.

Following a 2-0 FA Cup defeat to Arsenal in February 2003, Ferguson launched a tirade at his star midfielder which, according to Beckham’s autobiography, went along the lines of “David, what about the second goal? What were you doing? . . . We told you about it before the game. The problem with you is you don’t let anyone talk to you. You don’t listen’.

“I felt like I was being bullied in public,” explained Beckham, who now plays for Paris Saint-Germain. “I was being backed into a corner for no other reason than spite. I was trapped.”

Beckham swore at Ferguson and bedlam ensued.

“The boss took a step or two towards me,” Beckham continued. “There was a boot on the floor. He swung his leg and kicked it. At me? At the wall? It could have been anywhere, he was that angry now.

“I went for the gaffer. I don’t know if I’ve ever lost control like that before. Suddenly it was like some mad scene out of a gangster movie.”

Beckham’s teammates held him back, but after the incident, the then England captain appeared with a medical dressing over the cut above his eye.

“It was a freakish incident,” Ferguson reportedly said. “If I tried it 100 or a million times it couldn’t happen again. If I could I would have carried on playing!”

An increasingly tempestuous relationship between the two personalities came to an end on 1 July 2003, when Beckham left Manchester United to join Real Madrid.

Treble

May 26, 1999, was a night which simultaneously defied belief and defined Ferguson’s Manchester United reign.

United were chasing history. The league title had been wrapped up, beating Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal to the Premier League title by just one point.

FA Cup success followed. Goals from striker Teddy Sheringham and midfielder Paul Scholes secured a straight-forward 2-0 win over Newcastle United in the final at Wembley.

Ferguson’s team were one step away from securing an unprecedented Premier League, FA Cup and European Champions League treble.

United’s opponents in the European Cup final at Barcelona’s Nou Camp stadium were Bayern Munich and the Germans looked set to win the showpiece match after Mario Basler’s first-half free-kick put them 1-0 ahead.

In search of a way back into the match, Ferguson threw on substitutes Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

As the game ticked into extra-time, United earned a corner. Goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel raced forward in a desperate attempt to force an equalizer.

The initial cross was cleared, but the ball fell to Ryan Giggs whose low shot from the edge of the box was turned into the net by Sheringham.

Cue jubilant celebrations among United players, fans and coaching staff, but uncontained joy was to follow seconds later.

United earned another corner kick in the final seconds of injury time. Sheringham flicked on Beckham’s cross at the near post and Solskjaer flung his right leg at the header to send the ball flying into the back of the net.

Bayern were beaten, United had completed an historic treble.

As Ferguson remarked to ITV after the incredible climax, “football, bloody hell.”