Sir Alex Ferguson

One of the most decorated managers in the history of the sport, Sir Alex Ferguson’s insatiable appetite for success has kept him in the game far longer than he would have envisaged.

Ferguson announced that he would retire in 2002 but changed his mind. The results have been spectacular as he built on the success he has enjoyed with Manchester United since joining the club in 1986.

The Scot cut his managerial teeth at East Sterlingsire and St.Mirren, before moving to Aberdeen where he overturned the Old Firm hegemony, winning three league titles, four Scottish Cups and even a Cup Winners Cup.

Ferguson has established a reputation as a manager not to be crossed. United players who have upset this feisty Scot and perpetual gum chewer (David Beckham, Jaap Stam and Paul Ince to name but a few) have found themselves shipped out, promptly sent to pastures new.

"Success gives you control," Ferguson told Sir David Frost in 2008. "That's what you're after as a manager. Because it's very difficult to control if you're not successful. It means, usually, the end of your job. The most difficult job and the most important man at Manchester United is the manager. Without question, the minute that ever changed it would mean a massive free-fall in the club.

"You can never allow the players to run the football club and you can never allow the supporters to run the football club. They've all a part to play. Without our supporters, we'd be nothing; without the players, we'd be nothing. They are the most important components of a football club; but somebody has to run it. Somebody has to be in charge. The manager is the best man, and has always got to be supported."

One of the most attack minded coaches in the game, Ferguson made it his goal when taking over to end Liverpool's domestic dominance, which he duly did with a raft of trophies over two decades.

The 1999 treble is among his grandest achievements, and it is his ability to continually regenerate winning sides that sets him apart from the rest.

His signings are often inspired, and his commitment to bringing through youth remains undiminished, although Ferguson has been unable to find players of the same caliber as Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville and Beckham, that superb crop who emerged in the early 90s.

Ferguson is steeped in the Scottish working-class culture and it is his commitment to hard work that has been one of the driving forces behind his astonishing success.

• Name: Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson
• Nationality: Scottish
• Date and Place of Birth: December 1941, Glasgow, Scotland
• Current Team: Manchester United (English League)
• Previous Teams: East Stirlingshire (1974), St. Mirren (1974-1978), Aberdeen (1978-1986), Manchester United (1986-)