Graeme Souness Sir Alex Ferguson
Sir Alex Ferguson is the most successful manager in football history, having led Manchester United for an incredible 29 years. The iconic Scot wouldn't have even lasted past five years at Old Trafford had it not been for an England icon.
That's the opinion of British football legend Graeme Souness, who recalled Fergie himself paying tribute to the man who kept him in the job during the tough times. It took four years for Ferguson to lift silverware with the Red Devils, but the wait for glory was certainly worth it.
The last man to defeat Real Madrid in a European final with Aberdeen in 1983, Sir Alex hardly went another year without winning a trophy until his retirement in 2013. He steamrolled the Premier League, winning the English top-flight an unbelievable 13 times after its rebranding in 1992.
Sir Alex Ferguson Owes Bobby Charlton His Man Utd Legacy
Sir Alex Ferguson with the Champions League trophy
Sir Alex Ferguson with the Champions League trophy
Speaking in a December 2023 interview with Simon Jordan, Souness expressed how Ferguson's incredible success in Manchester would never have happened without another Man United legend. Sir Bobby Charlton had an enormous impact on the football club, both as a player and after his retirement.
According to Liverpool and Rangers icon Souness, Charlton was behind his compatriot in getting through his difficult formative years at Old Trafford. He claimed: "He spoke about it recently at Bobby Charlton's funeral. Top guy, by the way. Ask me about him.
"He [Ferguson] had five years before he really got it going. He wouldn't have got that if it hadn't been for Bobby Charlton. Bobby Charlton supported him through the most difficult years.
"I can remember the banners in the Stretford end, 'Fergie, time's up' or along those lines. So he had that man who was putting out fires for him in the boardroom, and it kept him in place, and did they reap the benefits?"
Ferguson himself has even admitted he 'owes his life at Manchester United' to Charlton. Had he not been given the significant backing and patience he required, one of the greatest managerial stints in history may have never come to fruition.
Souness: I'd Have Loved Playing For Fergie
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Souness did play under Ferguson for a brief spell at international level, and recalled the time the United legend became the first and only boss to drop him from the team. He told Jordan:
"I played under Fergie for Scotland. He was the exact same as Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan, Ronnie Moran. Simple, keep it straight. Would come down on the players if he felt they were short-changing in any shape or form.
"I was only ever dropped once in my life, and it was the last ever game it could've happened to me in. It was the World Cup in '86 in Mexico. I got a bug and lost a lot of weight, we played Denmark, then West Germany. We needed to beat Uruguay, and he left me out for that game. I remember coming to my hotel room, and I'd lost maybe a stone in weight and I just wasn't on it. I agreed with him."
Asked if he would have liked to play under the iconic gaffer at club level, he didn't hesitate to give a response. The midfielder-turned-pundit instantly replied: "Oh yeah, I would've responded to his management."