'Euphoria, excitement, then you carry on'
Wednesday 24 December 2008
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Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson (©Getty Images)
Sir Alex Ferguson was already looking to the future as the celebrations drifted into the early hours at the Luzhniki Stadium. The Manchester United FC manager had just won his second, and the club's third, European Champion Clubs' Cup, but there was no question the 66-year-old would be letting anyone rest on their laurels.
'Euphoria evaporates'
Having reclaimed the continental crown against Chelsea FC, the challenge was now to defend it. "I feel proud, very, very proud," Sir Alex said. "Sometimes you have to pinch yourself, but we won't get carried away with it. Tomorrow I'll be thinking of next season. It drains away quickly for me. The euphoria evaporates almost immediately. The moment of that final penalty save from Edwin van der Sar, that was my moment, my euphoria and excitement, then you just carry on."
Hunger still there
After 34 years as a manager, the thrill of victory – "to create that drug again" – is as great as ever, the drive to succeed undimmed. The Scot will check to see if the "hunger in the eyes of the players is still there" in pre-season then start all over again. He has been doing so since taking his first managerial job, aged 32, with East Stirlingshire FC, and he will not be stopping any time soon. Sir Alex was talked out of retirement by his wife in 2002 – and what a debt of thanks the thousands of travelling fans in Moscow owe Cathy now.
Question mark
Only three years ago some supporters were calling for his departure. Arsenal FC were champions, winning the league playing the sort of free-flowing, attacking football United pride themselves on, while Chelsea FC and their brash young manager José Mourinho, boosted by Roman Abramovich's wealth, were on the point of establishing Stamford Bridge as the powerbase of English football. Suddenly questions were being raised about Sir Alex, his tactics and his choice of players.
New generation
How wrong the doubters have been proved. From the ashes of the 2005/06 campaign, when United finished eight points behind two-in-a-row champions Chelsea, another great side has risen – one arguably even better than the team Sir Alex took to the treble in 1999. It is 22 years since he landed at Old Trafford and in that time he has built three great sides: the Premier League winners of 1993 and 1994 who ended the club's 26-year wait for the title; the vintage crop that brought the European Cup to Old Trafford for a second time in 1999; and now this generation which may even eclipse the achievements of their predecessors.
Silver streak
The players change yet the manager remains the same. In an era demanding instant success, his longevity is remarkable. It is a quarter of a century since the Glaswegian first lifted European silverware – the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup with Aberdeen FC in 1983 – and after the glory of Moscow, his is a record time span of success in continental football. With Aberdeen, he was up against the great Alfredo Di Stéfano, coach of Real Madrid CF, but typically he met the challenge head on. "I didn't shrivel," he said. "I gave [Di Stéfano] a bottle of whisky and thanked him for being part of the occasion."
Lucky break
Another Cup Winners' Cup triumph followed against FC Barcelona in 1991, before Sir Alex finally fulfilled his dream of claiming the European Cup on an amazing night at Camp Nou. Fate was on Sir Alex's side as United hit back twice in stoppage time to beat FC Bayern München; fortune favoured United again in Moscow, with John Terry's slip giving United a lifeline in the shoot-out when a goal would have given Chelsea the title.
Trust in youth
Sir Alex, though, has arguably made his own luck down the years. It was he who stressed the importance of the youth academy at Old Trafford back in 1986 and who built up the scouting network. David Beckham, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs – the only player to have featured in all ten English championships Sir Alex has won – are just some of the fruits of that labour. "People like Scholes, Giggs and Neville, it is not by accident that they have stayed so long," Sir Alex said. "They know what professional football means and they know what Manchester United means."
Drained
If United's manager had been in high spirits on the eve of the final, come the finish at almost a quarter to two in the morning, he was drained and exhausted. As always, he had played out every header, shot and tackle, and extra time and penalties had clearly taken their toll. "Ninety-nine was so sudden and unexpected, tonight it was in our hands. If we kicked all our penalties correctly, we would win. Unfortunately we missed one so it was nail-biting stuff. But it's the same feeling. It's an exceptionally emotional occasion, a European final. It gets to you. It tires you. I think we're all tired." Even so, you could be sure he was already planning the defence of the UEFA Champions League crown with all the energy of a man half his age.
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