Football Daily - Special: Sir Alex Ferguson interview

Episode Date: October 2, 2026

In a very special interview, Sir Alex Ferguson speaks with Nina Warhurst for BBC Breakfast. They talk about his upbringing in Glasgow and making his debut for St Johnstone, the class of '92 and his recovery from a brain haemorrhage in 2018. 1’48 - The impact of his brain haemorrhage & return to Old Trafford in 2018 4’00 - His first cup final aged 13 & upbringing in Glasgow 5’50 - Making his debut for St Johnstone & nearly emigrating to Canada 7’22 - Placing trust in the class of ’92 11’50 - Being presented with his Scotland cap in 2021

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Whether it's a parley on Sunday or a straight bet on the big game, you get way more with Betway. Must be 19 plus Ontario only. Play responsibly. Concerned about your gambling, visit connectsonterio.ca. This is the Football Daily podcast on BBC Sounds. It's Nina Warhurst here from BBC News. I've sat down with Sir Alex Ferguson again.

I mean, he needs very little introduction to you. Does the trophy speak for themselves? But it wasn't just the trophies. It was the way he won them reinventing squad after squad and creating that spirit of never giving up. In his latest book, Games of My Life, he pegs 21 chapters to 21 matches. And we're taken from the warmth of his childhood tenement flat in Glasgow

where they subletted a bedroom to an Irish family, right through to his disillusionment with football completely. He almost emigrated to Canada. And then he talks us through building the radical class of 92, which at the time was controversial. He talks about the patience it. And coming back after the bleed on the brain, whereas he puts it, the great ref in the sky, almost decided his number was up.

It was a pleasure to sit down with him a couple of weeks ago in Cheshire. Sir Alex, good to see you again. Thank you. You're looking very well. You're feeling well. Yeah, feeling quite good, yeah. Yeah? Just big, small injuries.

We've all got them, haven't we? So your book, The Games of Your Life, you plucked out 21. Why did you do it this way? Why did you decide to peg your entire history to matches? It was my choice, you know, of games that really matter to me, going right back to these early days. Because my career didn't just line the hands of Manchester United, you know, had a long career from 13 years of age, right, to my retirement.

A really significant game that I remember Cleaer's day was your return to Old Trafford against walls in terms. 2018 we as the fans felt the nation felt and perhaps you felt that was a day that may not have happened after the bleed on the brain yeah what was that feeling like walking out oh that was I was terrified actually I wish I wish I could say it was comfortable I wasn't really I wasn't comfortable because I didn't know where the reaction was you see me you go there and And they'd make that announce me with the manager.

And then of course, this loud applause was, it was heart-wrenching, you know. Was it? It was, huh? And my wife was with me, and she was in the way crying, you know, she was, and then just sat down, she said, that's fantastic. Did she?

Yeah. She said, that's amazing. And then, and one of these things, I think, There's a generosity of her support and recognising my time there, you know. You look really well when you look back at the footage of you emerging and you look fantastic. It's easy to forget just how bad the injury was

when you see the scans of your brain. I know. Things could have been so different. Well, it was a long recovery really. It was about about seven or eight months. I wasn't allowed to travel or drink or that. And I always remember my grandson coming in see me, grandsons, and I watched my voice, I couldn't speak.

And then they brought in this therapist and she started doing things like, name, write down, names of birds, names of animals, names of rivers, and by that way, my voice come back. Were you frightened? I was, when I couldn't, when I can't talk, I must be friends. So, yeah, that was a frightening moment that. Let's go to Govan High School against Adelphi Terris.

So it's 1955, you're 13 years old, your first cup final and you say about this, this was the moment I realised I really enjoyed winning medals. And we've got the medal there, haven't we? In my wee medal, the Big Castle Cup, 6-0, I scored two. It was a great moment because, um, We went out to, we went two years without losing a game. So that was my starting point. Played for Glasgow schools and played for Scotland schools,

Scottish school team. So the starting point of a career was there. And that's when I can look back in with great satisfaction. And what I love about this chapter is you paint a beautiful picture of the flat that you were in. The flat that you lived in the ten-month flat in Govon in Glasgow, it was the making of me. It's where I developed my inner confidence. from my mum and my drive to succeed from my dad.

Walk us through that flat in your mind. For my brother and I, we had our own bedroom. We had another bedroom which my mother and father rented out to an Irish family. So where are your mum and dad sleeping at this point? They had a recess bed in the kitchen. It was in the wall. You know, and my dad used to keep his books in a loft above the bedroom.

Wow. And you say in the book that your dad, he wasn't a demonstrative man, he wasn't an emotion, emotional man. But his way of showing his love to you and your brother was to breaking the leather on the boots. He was so proud of us you know and he was he was a hard task semester because he would um I would maybe score a hat trigger I scored a goal and my mother go oh it's great something like that my dad says I never shoots he never shoots is it that's impassable so keep keeping you in your place

not letting you get carried away with yourself yeah 100% let's go forward to It's 1963, Alex Ferguson is 21 years old, playing for St Johnston, Flew strikes the squad. Yeah. All of a sudden Alex Ferguson's off the bench. It's changed my life. Yeah. Because on the day before the game, I went to the swimming bass with my pals because we could get a shower there and things like that. And I got my brother's girlfriend to phone the manager and see her before.

That is the position that was there because I was there. because I wasn't enjoying it. I wasn't playing it. First team football. I was in the reserves all the time. And then had a broken eyebrow and a broken nose playing a game. Hadn't played for six weeks.

Came back. I was three games of the reserves. You were done? As it. So you faked an illness? Yeah. Yeah, I did. And I went to Canada House

and took out forms. Phone Man to Isabel in Canada because you needed a sponsor then and never told them well and father next day I scored a hat trick and you're in the newspapers I've often I say this without doubt and I say this to seeing young people don't miss the biggest opportunities in your life yeah it's recognising it you think without that hat trick I know been on that boat to Canada I would have been amazing absolutely let's jump forward to a three-nill win against Bolton at Old Trafford it's It's 1995, you'll never win anything with kids.

Well, when that. You described that third goal going in. It happened in a matter of seconds, but ten years in the making. Yeah. We worked real hard getting youth into the club again. These bunch of young lads. They became the spirit of Manchester needed. It's easy to forget how young they were.

I know. And how good they were. I know. And the confidence between schools, gigs and Beckham, Apart from the great abilities they had, their desires, you know, they played games as if they really meant it, you know. So they created a,

sort of a pulse in my being in terms of, why don't have, they brought them this far. Do I let him go? I put Beckham and loan to pressing. He thought it was trying to get rid of him, which was not true, Because David was the last to really develop because his physique. Right.

Although he grew to six foot, whatever, he was small and thin as a young kid. And then all of a sudden he got to about 17, up it came. But it was still a gamble. Was there any point at which you thought this might go wrong? No, I know, I'll tell you what, I believe myself. Yeah. I did exactly the same at Samim and I did exactly the same Aberdeen. and you was good at it.

And you had a belief in young people because if you give them an opportunity, there's two things that happen, they become real stars and they can remain loyal to you as a manager. You got some stick from the fans, I think we've got some letters here. Oh, right? Don't sell in-seater, enter or regret it.

That's like a threat to not sell Paulins. What miracles do you? What miracles do you propose to perform with your pieces of silver? Everywhere is disgusted with you. And this is just because you were bringing the class of 92 through and prioritising them. Paul was a tremendous footballer. There's no doubt about that.

He had incredible ability. I just had a feeling that he just got carried away a bit of the time. And then I got this often from into my line. And I'm trying to weigh up one thing against the other. And I'm looking at schools and I'm looking at it. but I says, should we? You know? And then it went from seven million to seven and a half and I said, do it, you know? Because those decisions are all on your shoulders. Yeah, but that's what your job is as a manager. You have to make hard decisions. Then some decisions don't suit

everyone. Could you read out from this? This is a notepad that Jason, you saw. And he's in hieroglyphics. bit like hieroglyphics, but I'm quite interested in the words that you've written here. Can you read some of them out? Entry into preparation relied on instinct and knowledge of game, tactics, qualities, leadership, make decisions, preparation, determination, Churchill, Montgomery, battles, religion, armory, patience, observation, withdrawal. McGrath, authority, presence, control, ins. Ince, the last one's ins.

He's crept in there. He was living in your head in that time, wasn't he? It was, it was. So what is this stream of consciousness that you've written down here? Because it's a couple of pages. These are all. In front of the squad of that time. So that's obviously your thought process.

Yeah, I would do know into my things that are important in my job, you know. Just words that you think you remember these words. It refers to a lot of things, the words, and it says, I didn't know what's that before Montgomery Churchill Ince, okay. I couldn't escape him. Well you did eventually. He's a great lad, you know. He is. He was my favourite.

Oh, he's a trivial lad. He sometimes goes over, he used to come over and play with at Snooker. Oh, did he? Oh, so you became friends again? Oh yeah, yeah. Oh, did you? Oh, totally. He phoned me, that's a long ago.

Oh, so you still, you became pals? Oh, yeah, definitely, yeah. He's a good friend of mine. Oh good. Hi. It's 2021. You're finally presented with your Scotland cap. Yeah, I know.

Scotland three, Israel, two. What did it feel like to finally get it? Well, you know, some, it took me from 66 and 2007 until the 2020, when to get that. Yeah. They awarded two or three other players on the same night. So you got your cap. Got my cap.

And just finally, Sir Alex, it was Scott McTominee from the United side who scored the winner in extra time which really puts a bow on your entire career doesn't it that's you I remember sailing in McDonnell who's seven years of each did you and his father come in thank you very much for your time my pleasure absolute pleasure to see you Alex Ferguson is the most successful British manager of all time nobody is above him or this football club so how did an apprentice toolmaker from Glasgow Glasgow become one of the most iconic figures in sporting history. His strength of character, his determination, the fight on him.

He can be persuasive. He can be charming. He can be frightening. I'm Kelly Cates, and this is Sporting Giants, Sir Alex Ferguson. I didn't want to feel. I couldn't feel. Listen on BBC Sounds. It felt like everything I believed in was suddenly collapsing. This is the story of an Islamic boarding school in Indonesia with a dark secret. of the school's head teacher. This was someone I respected above anyone else.

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