Get well soon, Sir Alex: The man who made many fall in love with football

Manchester United v Swansea City - Premier League
Sir Alex Ferguson is the greatest manager in the British game

It was close to 2 am and I had to put the television on mute. However, like some yesteryear star of a silent movie, I was screaming my lungs out. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had just netted the most improbable winner of all time and Manchester United had, against all odds, won the 1999 Champions League Final against Bayern Munich.

As an 11-year-old schoolboy just beginning to get acquainted with football, that moment sealed the deal and a lifelong affection for the game was engendered.

The Gaffer was the real star

The Manchester United team of the '90s was legendary, it included home-grown stars such as David Beckham and Paul Scholes and had some of the best players ever to have played in the Premier League, like Ryan Giggs.

It had a formidable strike partnership in Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke and great back-up forwards such as Teddy Sheringham and Solskjaer (both of whom scored in that memorable final), it had a pillar in central defence in the form of Japp Stam and great workrate along the wings in the form of full-backs such as Denis Irwin and Gary Neville, most importantly, the team was led by the charismatic, if controversial, Irishman Roy Keane.

Yet, despite such a wonderful team, the star of the show and the catalyst of all the success in that treble-winning season (and beyond), was the gaffer, the manager, Sir Alex Ferguson.

One of the greats

When news of Sir Alex getting an emergency surgery for brain haemorrhage trickled out last night, the mind wandered back to that golden era. Just why was he the most unique manager of world football, at least according to the adult me (as well as my impressionable, young self from 19 years ago)? Clearly, it is not just a case of numbers, however, they do play a part.

The most successful manager in British football, Ferguson won 38 trophies in 26 years during his reign at United. This included 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League triumphs, he was also knighted along the way.

Ferguson was not just a shrewd tactician and man-manager, he could get the best out of his players in a way few others can. His amazing influence on the fortunes of the Red Devils can be gauged by the struggles of the club after he finally made way, much to the dismay of the humongous fan base of the club.

United have had some silverware trickle down to them post the Fergie-era, and are on course to finish second this season as well, but gone are the days when they were the most feared team in the League day in and day out and a force to be reckoned with on the European arena.

More often than not, under both Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho, two master managers, the club has played insipid, defensive football that has been all the more painful if one remembers the United of yore, who dazzled with their lightning counter-attacks and fluid creativity.

He took the team to new heights even after the brilliant team of the 90s disintegrated, always discovering new talents such as a certain Cristiano Ronaldo and updating his team to bring in United greats such as Ruud Van Nistelrooy or Nemanja Vidic and adapting his strategy to suit the changing ways of the sport.

Why is he unique

For a '90s kid growing up in India and a nascent supporter of Manchester United, Sir Alex will remain that formidable, incessantly gum-chewing, figure in the sidelines who signified football, this is a case of impressions beyond all footballing logic.

He was the man who guided your team to one success after the other, who taught you about the nuances of wing play and the emotional aspect of the game that was ingrained in his attitude; the attitude he instilled in the team.

Yes, there were moments of controversy, like the way David Beckham (or Stam) departed, or the famous Fergie-time, but all this added to the aura of the man who never compromised with his one and only goal, victory.

Legend has it, Sir Alex was about to be sacked after a poor run when he guided the team to triumph in the 1990 FA Cup final. If he had not won that match, that 1999 final would have never happened and many a kid like me would not have become life-long admirers of the beautiful game.

He is thus the king of comebacks and now it is time for him to make one more legendary return, this time in a completely different field. Get well soon, Sir Alex.

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Edited by Amit Mishra