Aberdeen icon Sir Alex Ferguson could not control his true feelings during one of the biggest tests of his legendary Manchester United managerial career at Old Trafford.
Sir Alex Ferguson ushered in a dynasty at Manchester United and the 83-year-old legendary Scotsman enjoyed incredible silverware success at the Red Devils.
The iconic former United manager left Aberdeen in 1986 after disrupting Celtic and Rangers’ stranglehold over Scottish football during his spell at the Pittodrie Stadium.
Ferguson replaced Ron Atkinson at Old Trafford and the Scot would overcome a difficult start to life at United before he climbed to the top of English football.
The ex-Aberdeen head coach led United to all 13 of their Premier League titles and added two Champions League trophies to his remarkable silverware cabinet.
Ferguson’s incredible exploits at both Aberdeen and United rightfully earned the Red Devils legend important recognition as one of the best managers of all time.
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Sir Alex Ferguson watches from the dugout during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford in 2009 in Manchester.
Photo by John Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images
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The ultimate ‘test’ of Sir Alex Ferguson’s incredible Man Utd career and the Aberdeen legend fell short at the final hurdle
Sir Alex Ferguson’s illustrious Manchester United managerial career saw the Scotsman miss out on two more Champions League titles for his trophy haul.
The Red Devils fell short of winning back-to-back Champions League trophies after Ferguson’s men were thwarted in the 2009 final against Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona side.
United defeated Chelsea on penalties in the 2008 Champions League final before being outclassed by Barcelona in a 2-0 defeat at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
Fast-forward from United’s defeat in the 2009 Champions League final to 2011 and Ferguson had the chance to avenge his loss to ex-Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola.
However, the legendary Barcelona team under Manchester City boss Guardiola proved to be too much for United and the Red Devils fell to a 3-1 defeat at Wembley.
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Sir Alex Ferguson showed his ‘true colours’ to Man Utd fans in the 2011 Champions League final vs Barcelona
Barcelona had opened the scoring against United through Pedro in the 27th minute before Wayne Rooney found the equaliser only seven minutes later at Wembley.
Pep Guardiola would see Barcelona restore their advantage over United in the second half after Lionel Messi scored a stunning strike past Edwin van der Sar.
The nail was in the coffin for United in the 2011 Champions League final after David Villa netted in the 69th minute for Barcelona and Guardiola’s men came out on top.
Footage from the final has continued to make the rounds on YouTube, including one instance where the camera panned to Ferguson in the dying stages of the match.
The camera zoomed in on both of Ferguson’s hands curled up in fists and the United legend could be seen visibly shaking amid the 3-1 scoreline in the 86th minute.
Ferguson’s face later became visible and the former United manager was noticeably chewing away like he would often be seen doing in the dugout during his career.
However, even the clip has caught the eye of United fans for how Ferguson could not even overcome one of the best football teams in the history of the sport.