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CNN’s Human to Hero series screens every week on World Sport. Click here for show times, videos and features.

(CNN) — “A must-have quality for figure skaters is, I think, gorgeousness.”

Japan’s Daisuke Takahashi throws his head back and laughs, but he is serious.

His is a sport where performance is everything — from the flamboyant routines to the glitzy outfits to the interaction with the crowd.

“The best part about figure skating is how I can have the entire audience’s attention to myself,” the former world champion told CNN’s Human to Hero series.

“I believe performing and showing off is very important, but I constantly prevent myself from becoming too self-absorbed. The audience won’t be moved if I’m performing only for my satisfaction.

“It’s sort of like playing ‘catch.’ For me, when I’m watching musicals or performances, I feel a bit uncomfortable when the actor is too self-absorbed. I like the people who can perform while being sensitive of the atmosphere.”

Takahashi was raised to national hero status in 2010 when he became the first Japanese man to win a world singles title in figure skating, having the previous month become the first to win an Olympic medal in the discipline when he took bronze in Vancouver.

Despite his success — he also won silver at last year’s worlds — the 27-year-old admits he still looks up to his rivals.

“I never thought I have anything special. I’ve always thought about what I don’t have compared to other skaters,” he says.

Read: 102 and still running – the world’s oldest marathon man

“I tend to think like other skaters get more applause than I do. I constantly think about ways I can level up, and I’m often jealous of other skaters,” he adds, laughing. “When I see someone’s cool performance, it makes me want to be like them, and that’s what motivates me.”

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From Afghanistan to the rugby pitch

Olympic champion: Sailing is not elitist

A big part of figure skating is the outfits — often elaborate lycra creations that might otherwise seem more at home in a musical stage show.

“I don’t have long legs and arms, and I am … short,” quips Takahashi. “So I want something that makes me look taller and with longer legs and arms.

“I want something will make me a bit bigger, and so something with flapsthat give my arms a little flow.”

The shoes, with their thin blades, are even more important.

“If I didn’t have them, I wouldn’t be able to skate, so it’s like the heart,” Takahashi says.

“I think it’s something everyone struggles with, especially for me because my shoes don’t last long. I sometimes change them every month or after every competition, and it’s very difficult finding the right shoes. Depending on if the shoes are good, it affects the performance, so it’s very important.”

Read: From the front line to the try line

Born in the city of Kurashiki in Okayama Prefecture, Takahashi wanted to be a gymnast when he was growing up.

But, as fate would have it, an ice rink was built near his home and his future was settled by the practical reality of it being closer than the gymnasium where he infrequently trained.

“My mother’s co-worker who really liked ice skating took me and it made me realize that I really want to do this,” he recalls.

“Figure skating wasn’t famous where I grew up, and the ice rink was just built with a small club team without a professional coach, so the number of skaters was really small. But we all worked together to manage the money, learn tricks, and organize.”

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From refugee to Afghan cricket captain

At junior high school he met Utako Nagamitsu, who has remained his coach ever since — she is currently working alongside the Russian Nikolai Morozov, who is now back on Takahashi’s team after their initial split back in 2008.

Read: Sailing hero’s America’s Cup challenge

“We’ve traveled the world together, which other coaches rarely do,” Takahashi says of Nagamitsu. “Now it’s officially a team, with a nutritionist, trainer, management company, costume maker, music mixer and level check managers, and choreographers.”

Takahashi’s success in 2010 was all the more satisfying because he had only just returned to full fitness after a serious knee injury that sidelined him for a year.

The anterior cruciate ligament problem halted his progress after he won silver at the 2007 world championships — another first for Japan.

“I’m afraid of injuries. The surgery was good for my mental health, but it was about three years later when I was able to get back my flow,” he says.

“As for balancing off-ice and on-ice life, right now I try not to because all of it is part of my private lifestyle. I’ll take breaks to rest my body, but I generally don’t feel like I must take days off.”

Read: From townships to Tour de France

Takahashi took more time out in 2011 when he had to have the bolt from that knee surgery removed, but he recovered the following year to win his first Grand Prix Final — which was held in Sochi, the Russian resort city that will host next year’s Winter Olympics.

“The most significant competition for me is the Olympics. I’ve entered the Olympics twice, but the one at Vancouver is the one I can’t forget about,” Takahashi says.

“It was the season after recovering from my injury. It was a competition that I got so excited I started tearing up before it began, which never happened before.

Hong Kong’s Paralympic fencing champion

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“I got hurt, and I struggled, took out my feelings on the people who supported me, and even then I was able to make the Olympics, and through the season it was the only time when I felt like I was actually competing well.

“It wasn’t the perfect performance, but it was my first medal, and I think that was when my life took a different turn.”

Read: ‘Happy’ Gilmore defies sporting cliches

Takahashi is now hoping to earn one of the three men’s places in Japan’s figure skating team for Sochi.

He finished sixth at March’s world championships in Canada, behind fourth-placed compatriot Yuzuru Hanyu but ahead of Takahito Mura in eighth.

Both are much younger — Hanyu is 18 and Mura 22 — and Takahashi is keenly aware that he has a lot of work to do if he is to succeed at Sochi.

“They definitely are rivals, but it’s more like I try hard so that they see me as their rival. Now the level of technicality of skating is very high and they grew up with the new rules, but my generation just adjusted to the new rules … It’s hard keeping up.”

But Takahashi showed last month in Tokyo that he still has what it takes, winning the individual title for the second year in a row at the World Team Trophy event, with Mura fifth.

“Since three years ago when I decided to continue my career until Sochi, I think emotionally I’m doing everything I can to prepare for it, more than any other Olympics ever,” he says.

“I don’t have the Olympics gold medal, so I definitely want it.”

(CNN) — France’s top court ruled Friday that a bill permitting same-sex marriage and allowing gay couples to adopt children adheres to the constitution.

President Francois Hollande is expected to sign the bill into law on Saturday.

After the lower house of Parliament, dominated by Hollande’s governing Socialist Party, passed the bill last month, conservative and centrist senators filed a legal challenge with the court, the Constitutional Council.

France to vote on same-sex marriage law

Will France approve same-sex marriage?

The legislation admits France to a small but growing club.

CNN’s Human to Hero series screens every week on World Sport. Click here for show times, videos and features.

(CNN) — “A must-have quality for figure skaters is, I think, gorgeousness.”

Japan’s Daisuke Takahashi throws his head back and laughs, but he is serious.

His is a sport where performance is everything — from the flamboyant routines to the glitzy outfits to the interaction with the crowd.

“The best part about figure skating is how I can have the entire audience’s attention to myself,” the former world champion told CNN’s Human to Hero series.

“I believe performing and showing off is very important, but I constantly prevent myself from becoming too self-absorbed. The audience won’t be moved if I’m performing only for my satisfaction.

“It’s sort of like playing ‘catch.’ For me, when I’m watching musicals or performances, I feel a bit uncomfortable when the actor is too self-absorbed. I like the people who can perform while being sensitive of the atmosphere.”

Takahashi was raised to national hero status in 2010 when he became the first Japanese man to win a world singles title in figure skating, having the previous month become the first to win an Olympic medal in the discipline when he took bronze in Vancouver.

Despite his success — he also won silver at last year’s worlds — the 27-year-old admits he still looks up to his rivals.

“I never thought I have anything special. I’ve always thought about what I don’t have compared to other skaters,” he says.

Read: 102 and still running – the world’s oldest marathon man

“I tend to think like other skaters get more applause than I do. I constantly think about ways I can level up, and I’m often jealous of other skaters,” he adds, laughing. “When I see someone’s cool performance, it makes me want to be like them, and that’s what motivates me.”

World’s oldest runner’s ‘secret’ routine

From Afghanistan to the rugby pitch

Olympic champion: Sailing is not elitist

A big part of figure skating is the outfits — often elaborate lycra creations that might otherwise seem more at home in a musical stage show.

“I don’t have long legs and arms, and I am … short,” quips Takahashi. “So I want something that makes me look taller and with longer legs and arms.

“I want something will make me a bit bigger, and so something with flaps that give my arms a little flow.”

The shoes, with their thin blades, are even more important.

“If I didn’t have them, I wouldn’t be able to skate, so it’s like the heart,” Takahashi says.

“I think it’s something everyone struggles with, especially for me because my shoes don’t last long. I sometimes change them every month or after every competition, and it’s very difficult finding the right shoes. Depending on if the shoes are good, it affects the performance, so it’s very important.”

Read: From the front line to the try line

Born in the city of Kurashiki in Okayama Prefecture, Takahashi wanted to be a gymnast when he was growing up.

But, as fate would have it, an ice rink was built near his home and his future was settled by the practical reality of it being closer than the gymnasium where he infrequently trained.

“My mother’s co-worker who really liked ice skating took me and it made me realize that I really want to do this,” he recalls.

“Figure skating wasn’t famous where I grew up, and the ice rink was just built with a small club team without a professional coach, so the number of skaters was really small. But we all worked together to manage the money, learn tricks, and organize.”

South African cyclist: Never give up

Gilmore: Surfing can be feminine

From refugee to Afghan cricket captain

At junior high school he met Utako Nagamitsu, who has remained his coach ever since — she is currently working alongside the Russian Nikolai Morozov, who is now back on Takahashi’s team after their initial split back in 2008.

Read: Sailing hero’s America’s Cup challenge

“We’ve traveled the world together, which other coaches rarely do,” Takahashi says of Nagamitsu. “Now it’s officially a team, with a nutritionist, trainer, management company, costume maker, music mixer and level check managers, and choreographers.”

Takahashi’s success in 2010 was all the more satisfying because he had only just returned to full fitness after a serious knee injury that sidelined him for a year.

The anterior cruciate ligament problem halted his progress after he won silver at the 2007 world championships — another first for Japan.

“I’m afraid of injuries. The surgery was good for my mental health, but it was about three years later when I was able to get back my flow,” he says.

“As for balancing off-ice and on-ice life, right now I try not to because all of it is part of my private lifestyle. I’ll take breaks to rest my body, but I generally don’t feel like I must take days off.”

Read: From townships to Tour de France

Takahashi took more time out in 2011 when he had to have the bolt from that knee surgery removed, but he recovered the following year to win his first Grand Prix Final — which was held in Sochi, the Russian resort city that will host next year’s Winter Olympics.

“The most significant competition for me is the Olympics. I’ve entered the Olympics twice, but the one at Vancouver is the one I can’t forget about,” Takahashi says.

“It was the season after recovering from my injury. It was a competition that I got so excited I started tearing up before it began, which never happened before.

Hong Kong’s Paralympic fencing champion

The girl with the dancing horse

Lorenzo: Motorcycling is like dancing

“I got hurt, and I struggled, took out my feelings on the people who supported me, and even then I was able to make the Olympics, and through the season it was the only time when I felt like I was actually competing well.

“It wasn’t the perfect performance, but it was my first medal, and I think that was when my life took a different turn.”

Read: ‘Happy’ Gilmore defies sporting cliches

Takahashi is now hoping to earn one of the three men’s places in Japan’s figure skating team for Sochi.

He finished sixth at March’s world championships in Canada, behind fourth-placed compatriot Yuzuru Hanyu but ahead of Takahito Mura in eighth.

Both are much younger — Hanyu is 18 and Mura 22 — and Takahashi is keenly aware that he has a lot of work to do if he is to succeed at Sochi.

“They definitely are rivals, but it’s more like I try hard so that they see me as their rival. Now the level of technicality of skating is very high and they grew up with the new rules, but my generation just adjusted to the new rules … It’s hard keeping up.”

But Takahashi showed last month in Tokyo that he still has what it takes, winning the individual title for the second year in a row at the World Team Trophy event, with Mura fifth.

“Since three years ago when I decided to continue my career until Sochi, I think emotionally I’m doing everything I can to prepare for it, more than any other Olympics ever,” he says.

“I don’t have the Olympics gold medal, so I definitely want it.”

(CNN) — It was a fitting end to a remarkable era — Alex Ferguson celebrated his final home game as manager of Manchester United with a dramatic late victory against Swansea on Sunday.

While the result made no difference to either side’s season, the jubilation that followed a rare winner from veteran defender Rio Ferdinand brought echoes from some of the 71-year-old’s long list of triumphs in more than quarter of a century at the helm.

“My retirement doesn’t mean the end of my life at the club. I will be able to enjoy watching them rather than suffering with them,” Ferguson told the crowd in pouring rain at Old Trafford, which included his 11 grandchildren in the stands.

“But if you think about it, those last-minute goals, comebacks, even the defeats, are all part of this great football club of ours. It’s been an unbelievable experience so thank you for that.

McClaren: Ferguson’s recipe for success

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McClaren: Moyes was the right choice

“I’d also like to remind you that when we had bad times here the club stood by me, the players stood by me, and your job now is to stand by our new manager. That is important.”

Read: Underdog’s shock FA Cup success

Ferguson’s replacement will be David Moyes, who is leaving United’s English Premier League rivals Everton after more than a decade as manager.

He will begin preparations for United’s title defense when he formally takes over in July, with Ferguson’s legacy being 13 league championships, two European Cups, five FA Cups, four League Cups, one European Cup Winners’ Cup and one FIFA Club World Cup.

This season United regained the EPL crown from bitter rivals Manchester City, securing it with four games to play.

“It has been the most fantastic experience of my life. Thank you,” said Ferguson, the most successful manager in English football.

“I have been very fortunate, I’ve been able to manage some of the greatest players in the country let alone Manchester United.

“All these players here today, they have represented our club the proper way and have won a championship in fantastic fashion. Well done to the players.”

Read: End of an era as Fergie retires

United took the lead six minutes before halftime through striker Javier Hernandez, but Swansea stunned the home fans when Michu volleyed in at the near post just four minutes after the interval for his 18th league goal this season.

If the Spaniard’s effort was a typically predatory strike, Ferdinand’s stunning 87th-minute volley came out of the blue — the former England center-back’s first goal in more than five years.

It also capped a home farewell for 38-year-old midfielder Paul Scholes, who announced on Saturday that he is retiring for the second time and will return to the club’s coaching ranks.

Alex Ferguson has announced he is retiring at the end of this season, having won his 13th English Premier League title in more than 26 years as manager of Manchester United.

The 71-year-old is the most successful and longest-serving manager in United’s history, having also won two European Champions League crowns, five FA Cups and four League Cups.

Ferguson survived a difficult first four years at Manchester United before winning a title — the 1990 FA Cup. Here he celebrates with Bryan Robson, who became the first United captain to lift the trophy three times after beating Crystal Palace 1-0 in the final replay.

Ferguson lifted the European Cup Winners’ Cup for the second time in his career in 1991, when United beat Barcelona 2-1 in the final. He had previously won the now defunct tournament with Scottish club Aberdeen.

In 1993, United won the English title for the first time in 26 years, and Ferguson took the club on a tour of South Africa, where he met Nelson Mandela before the ANC leader became the country’s first post-apartheid president.

Ferguson celebrates with his assistant Brian Kidd after United won the Premiership again in 1994, then went on to secure a domestic double by beating Chelsea in the FA Cup final. United repeated the feat in 1996.

Ferguson with his grandson Jake before the 1999 FA Cup final victory against Newcastle that sealed United’s third double in six years.

Just four days later, United completed a treble with an incredible last-gasp win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League final. Ferguson and keeper Peter Schmeichel hold the trophy in Barcelona.

Ferguson tried to retire more than a decade ago, announcing at the start of the 2001-02 season that it would be his last. However, he changed his mind the following February but United failed to reach the Champions League final — which was to be played in his native Glasgow.

Another European title followed in 2008, but Barcelona handed United disappointment in the 2009 and 2011 finals. However, Ferguson and his players still earned a parade the latter season after winning a record 19th English league title — the Scot’s 12th.

The next season, United commemorated Ferguson’s 25 years as manager on November 5, 2011.

As a player, Ferguson was a prolific goalscorer for Scottish clubs St. Johnstone and Dunfermline, but his big move to Glasgow Rangers in 1967 proved disappointing and he left two years later. He ended his playing days at Ayr in 1974 without winning a major honor.

Ferguson made his name as a manager at Aberdeen. His fourth Scottish Cup win in 1986 was his last success with the Dons, having won three Scottish league titles and the 1983 European Cup Winners’ Cup — beating mighty Real Madrid in the final.

Ferguson, who briefly managed Scotland at the 1986 World Cup, overhauled the squad at Old Trafford and introduced some of the finest players to grace the EPL in the past two decades.

Arguably the most important signing was that of French forward Eric Cantona, a $1.9 million bargain from Leeds who led United’s surge to dominance in the 1990s.

The 1993 addition of young midfielder Roy Keane in a then British record transfer fee of £3.75 million from Nottingham Forest provided United with a ferocious future captain.

Ferguson also introduced young talent such as David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and the Neville brothers Gary and Phil — who all went on to become integral members of his team.

Ferguson played a key role in resurrecting the career of Beckham, who had been vilified by England fans after being sent off during the 1998 World Cup defeat by Argentina.

Ferguson famously beat United’s rivals Manchester City to sign Giggs as a teenager, and the Welsh winger has repaid his faith by staying with the club until the present day.

Ferguson’s signing of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2003 paid off as the Portugal forward fired United to Champions League glory in 2008 and was named world player of the year — the first from the EPL to do so — before joining Real Madrid in a record $130 million deal.

Ferguson is well known for his fiery temper and his motivational skills.

In 2003, he infamously kicked a boot into the face of Beckham in the dressing room after a match, but refused to apologize. “If I’d tried it 100 times or million times, it wouldn’t happen again,” he said. “If it did, I would carry on playing.”

United striker Wayne Rooney said Ferguson’s team talk ahead of the 2008 Champions League final against Chelsea in Moscow “made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.” United denied the London side a first European title after a penalty shootout.

United reached the final again the following season, but lost to Barcelona. Here Ferguson speaks with Britain’s Prince William at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome Italy.

Ferguson’s last match on the European stage was a defeat by Ronaldo’s Real Madrid in the Champions League Round of 16 second-leg match at Old Trafford on March 5, 2013.

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In pictures: The reign of Alex Ferguson

As a player, Alex Ferguson enjoyed a moderately successful career. A prolific striker, he scored 170 goals in 317 appearances including 25 goals in 41 appearances for Glasgow Rangers.

Ferguson was appointed manager of Aberdeen in 1978. In addition to three Scottish First Division titles, Ferguson guided the club to an impressive triumph over Real Madrid in the 1983 European Cup Winners’ Cup.

Ferguson was assistant to Scotland coach Jock Stein during the qualifying campaign for the 1986 World Cup. Scotland secured a 1-1 draw against Wales in their final game to reach the tournament, but Stein collapsed and died following the final whistle in Cardiff.

A late winner from substitute Mark Robbins in an FA Cup replay against Nottingham Forest in January 1990 allegedly spared Ferguson the sack. United went on to beat Crystal Palace at the second attempt in the final, giving Ferguson his first trophy at Old Trafford.

The Scot originally planned to retire from management at the end of the 2001-02 season. But, after helping the team recover from a slip in form which saw them drop as low as ninth in the Premier League table, Ferguson reversed his decision in February 2002 and signed a new three-year contract.

A boot flew into the face of Manchester United’s star midfielder David Beckham after Ferguson lost his temper following a 2-0 FA Cup defeat to Arsenal in February 2003. Beckham had to be held back following the incident and he joined Real Madrid ahead of the following season.

Ferguson’s finest hour arrived in Barcelona in May 1999, when his United team came from 1-0 down in the 90th minute to beat Bayern Munich 2-1 in the European Champions League final. The win completed an historic treble of titles won during the 1998-99 season, which included the Premier League title and the FA Cup.

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The seven moments which define Alex Ferguson

Everton manager David Moyes (left) and Manchester United’s soon-to-retire boss Alex Ferguson (right) are pictured during the FA Cup semifinal match between their two teams at Wembley Stadium in April 2009. United announced Wednesday that Ferguson, 71, will be retiring at the end of the season after more than a quarter of a century at the helm.

Jose Mourinho, who is now Real Madrid coach, and Moyes look on during the FA Cup fourth round match between Everton and Chelsea at Goodison Park in January 2006 in Liverpool. Both men were potential candidates to replace Ferguson, before Moyes agreed a six-year deal with United.

Moyes is pictured prior to kick off during the English Premier League match between Everton and Fulham at Goodison Park last month. Moyes is leaving Everton at the end of the season after he told the Merseyside club’s chairman Bill Kenwright of his desire to join United and succeed Ferguson.

Moyes urges on his team during the English Premier League match between Arsenal and Everton at the Emirates Stadium in north London last month. The Scot is considered to have done a superb job at Goodison Park given the relatively small financial resources he had at his disposal.

Moyes attends the 24th Hillsborough Anniversary Memorial Service at Anfield last month in Liverpool. Thousands of fans, friends and relatives took part in the service to mark the death of 96 football fans in an FA Cup semifinal match in April 1989.

Other notable attendants of the Hillsborough memorial service were: (from back row, left to right) Everton chairman Bill Kenwright, Moyes, Liverpool manager Brendan Rogers, Liverpool players Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Jordan Henderson, Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre, Linda Pizzuti and her husband — Liverpool’s principal owner John W Henry — and club chairman Tom Werner.

Moyes was made an Honorary Fellow for Outstanding Contributions to football and sportsmanship, by Liverpool John Moores’ University during its annual graduation ceremony at the city’s Anglican Cathedral in July 2011.

Harry Redknapp — then Tottenham manager, but now Queens Park Rangers boss — and Moyes are pictured together after the Sir Bobby Robson Memorial Service at Durham Cathedral in September 2009. Former England manager Robson died aged 76 following a long battle with cancer.

The family of murdered 11-year old boy Rhys Jones stand next to Moyes during a minute’s appreciation before the start of the Premier League match between Everton and Blackburn Rovers at Goodison Park in August 2007. Rhys died after being shot in the neck as he played football with friends outside the Fir Tree pub in Croxteth, Liverpool in August.

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David Moyes: Alex Ferguson’s successor

“Paul is one of the greatest players this club has ever had and ever will have,” said Ferguson, who brought Scholes into the first team from the youth ranks along with a “golden generation” that included David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville.

“I wish you a great retirement and I know you will still be around annoying me!” added the Scot, who will remain at Old Trafford as a director on the board and as a club ambassador.

Read: Moyes named as Ferguson’s successor

One player who didn’t feature in the match was England striker Wayne Rooney, who watched from the stands before joining the celebrations on the pitch.

Ferguson later confirmed that Rooney has asked to leave the club, so he thought it was best to give the 27-year-old time to reflect on his decision.

“I think he wants to think it through in his mind — I think that’s a good idea. We’re not going to let him go,” Ferguson said.

“I think maybe he is a bit frustrated. He has been taken off once or twice in the past couple of weeks.”

Ferguson also revealed that he had made his decision to retire last December because he wanted to spend more time with his wife Cathy, who had recently lost her sister.

The win put United 13 points clear of City ahead of Ferguson’s 1,500th and final United game away to West Brom next Sunday.

City’s season suffered another setback on Saturday with a 1-0 defeat to lowly Wigan in the FA Cup final, which has sparked speculation that manager Roberto Mancini will be sacked.

While City sealed the second of England’s Champions League places last weekend, the other two are still up for grabs.

Tottenham moved above London rivals Arsenal into fourth place with a 2-1 win at Stoke on Sunday, as Emmanuel Adebayor scored the decisive goal with seven minutes to play.

Stoke led early through Steven Nzonzi but Clint Dempsey — who set up Adebayor’s winner — equalized before the home side had Charlie Adam sent off just after halftime.

Arsenal can regain fourth place with victory over Wigan on Tuesday in a match that the third-bottom team needs to win to have any chance of avoiding relegation.

Moyes will leave Everton in sixth place following a 2-0 win over West Ham, with both goals coming from Belgian striker Kevin Mirallas.

Liverpool stayed seventh with a 3-1 win at Fulham as a hat-trick from striker Dean Sturridge meant the London side may need a point in the final round to avoid relegation.

Newcastle and Norwich both won on Sunday to ensure another season in the top flight, respectively beating bottom club Queens Park Rangers 2-1 and eighth-placed West Brom 4-0.

Sunderland could have condemned Wigan to the drop just a day after the club’s biggest success at Wembley, but drew 1-1 with Southampton to stay in the relegation mix.

(CNN) — It was a fitting end to a remarkable era — Alex Ferguson celebrated his final home game as manager of Manchester United with a dramatic late victory against Swansea on Sunday.

While the result made no difference to either side’s season, the jubilation that followed a rare winner from veteran defender Rio Ferdinand brought echoes from some of the 71-year-old’s long list of triumphs in more than quarter of a century at the helm.

“My retirement doesn’t mean the end of my life at the club. I will be able to enjoy watching them rather than suffering with them,” Ferguson told the crowd in pouring rain at Old Trafford, which included his 11 grandchildren in the stands.

“But if you think about it, those last-minute goals, comebacks, even the defeats, are all part of this great football club of ours. It’s been an unbelievable experience so thank you for that.

McClaren: Ferguson’s recipe for success

CNN FC: Moyes replaces Ferguson

McClaren: Moyes was the right choice

“I’d also like to remind you that when we had bad times here the club stood by me, the players stood by me, and your job now is to stand by our new manager. That is important.”

Read: Underdog’s shock FA Cup success

Ferguson’s replacement will be David Moyes, who is leaving United’s English Premier League rivals Everton after more than a decade as manager.

He will begin preparations for United’s title defense when he formally takes over in July, with Ferguson’s legacy being 13 league championships, two European Cups, five FA Cups, four League Cups, one European Cup Winners’ Cup and one FIFA Club World Cup.

This season United regained the EPL crown from bitter rivals Manchester City, securing it with four games to play.

“It has been the most fantastic experience of my life. Thank you,” said Ferguson, the most successful manager in English football.

“I have been very fortunate, I’ve been able to manage some of the greatest players in the country let alone Manchester United.

“All these players here today, they have represented our club the proper way and have won a championship in fantastic fashion. Well done to the players.”

Read: End of an era as Fergie retires

United took the lead six minutes before halftime through striker Javier Hernandez, but Swansea stunned the home fans when Michu volleyed in at the near post just four minutes after the interval for his 18th league goal this season.

If the Spaniard’s effort was a typically predatory strike, Ferdinand’s stunning 87th-minute volley came out of the blue — the former England center-back’s first goal in more than five years.

It also capped a home farewell for 38-year-old midfielder Paul Scholes, who announced on Saturday that he is retiring for the second time and will return to the club’s coaching ranks.

Alex Ferguson has announced he is retiring at the end of this season, having won his 13th English Premier League title in more than 26 years as manager of Manchester United.

The 71-year-old is the most successful and longest-serving manager in United’s history, having also won two European Champions League crowns, five FA Cups and four League Cups.

Ferguson survived a difficult first four years at Manchester United before winning a title — the 1990 FA Cup. Here he celebrates with Bryan Robson, who became the first United captain to lift the trophy three times after beating Crystal Palace 1-0 in the final replay.

Ferguson lifted the European Cup Winners’ Cup for the second time in his career in 1991, when United beat Barcelona 2-1 in the final. He had previously won the now defunct tournament with Scottish club Aberdeen.

In 1993, United won the English title for the first time in 26 years, and Ferguson took the club on a tour of South Africa, where he met Nelson Mandela before the ANC leader became the country’s first post-apartheid president.

Ferguson celebrates with his assistant Brian Kidd after United won the Premiership again in 1994, then went on to secure a domestic double by beating Chelsea in the FA Cup final. United repeated the feat in 1996.

Ferguson with his grandson Jake before the 1999 FA Cup final victory against Newcastle that sealed United’s third double in six years.

Just four days later, United completed a treble with an incredible last-gasp win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League final. Ferguson and keeper Peter Schmeichel hold the trophy in Barcelona.

Ferguson tried to retire more than a decade ago, announcing at the start of the 2001-02 season that it would be his last. However, he changed his mind the following February but United failed to reach the Champions League final — which was to be played in his native Glasgow.

Another European title followed in 2008, but Barcelona handed United disappointment in the 2009 and 2011 finals. However, Ferguson and his players still earned a parade the latter season after winning a record 19th English league title — the Scot’s 12th.

The next season, United commemorated Ferguson’s 25 years as manager on November 5, 2011.

As a player, Ferguson was a prolific goalscorer for Scottish clubs St. Johnstone and Dunfermline, but his big move to Glasgow Rangers in 1967 proved disappointing and he left two years later. He ended his playing days at Ayr in 1974 without winning a major honor.

Ferguson made his name as a manager at Aberdeen. His fourth Scottish Cup win in 1986 was his last success with the Dons, having won three Scottish league titles and the 1983 European Cup Winners’ Cup — beating mighty Real Madrid in the final.

Ferguson, who briefly managed Scotland at the 1986 World Cup, overhauled the squad at Old Trafford and introduced some of the finest players to grace the EPL in the past two decades.

Arguably the most important signing was that of French forward Eric Cantona, a $1.9 million bargain from Leeds who led United’s surge to dominance in the 1990s.

The 1993 addition of young midfielder Roy Keane in a then British record transfer fee of £3.75 million from Nottingham Forest provided United with a ferocious future captain.

Ferguson also introduced young talent such as David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and the Neville brothers Gary and Phil — who all went on to become integral members of his team.

Ferguson played a key role in resurrecting the career of Beckham, who had been vilified by England fans after being sent off during the 1998 World Cup defeat by Argentina.

Ferguson famously beat United’s rivals Manchester City to sign Giggs as a teenager, and the Welsh winger has repaid his faith by staying with the club until the present day.

Ferguson’s signing of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2003 paid off as the Portugal forward fired United to Champions League glory in 2008 and was named world player of the year — the first from the EPL to do so — before joining Real Madrid in a record $130 million deal.

Ferguson is well known for his fiery temper and his motivational skills.

In 2003, he infamously kicked a boot into the face of Beckham in the dressing room after a match, but refused to apologize. “If I’d tried it 100 times or million times, it wouldn’t happen again,” he said. “If it did, I would carry on playing.”

United striker Wayne Rooney said Ferguson’s team talk ahead of the 2008 Champions League final against Chelsea in Moscow “made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.” United denied the London side a first European title after a penalty shootout.

United reached the final again the following season, but lost to Barcelona. Here Ferguson speaks with Britain’s Prince William at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy

Ferguson’s last match on the European stage was a defeat by Ronaldo’s Real Madrid in the Champions League Round of 16 second-leg match at Old Trafford on March 5, 2013.

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In pictures: The reign of Alex Ferguson

As a player, Alex Ferguson enjoyed a moderately successful career. A prolific striker, he scored 170 goals in 317 appearances including 25 goals in 41 appearances for Glasgow Rangers.

Ferguson was appointed manager of Aberdeen in 1978. In addition to three Scottish First Division titles, Ferguson guided the club to an impressive triumph over Real Madrid in the 1983 European Cup Winners’ Cup.

Ferguson was assistant to Scotland coach Jock Stein during the qualifying campaign for the 1986 World Cup. Scotland secured a 1-1 draw against Wales in their final game to reach the tournament, but Stein collapsed and died following the final whistle in Cardiff.

A late winner from substitute Mark Robbins in an FA Cup replay against Nottingham Forest in January 1990 allegedly spared Ferguson the sack. United went on to beat Crystal Palace at the second attempt in the final, giving Ferguson his first trophy at Old Trafford.

The Scot originally planned to retire from management at the end of the 2001-02 season. But, after helping the team recover from a slip in form which saw them drop as low as ninth in the Premier League table, Ferguson reversed his decision in February 2002 and signed a new three-year contract.

A boot flew into the face of Manchester United’s star midfielder David Beckham after Ferguson lost his temper following a 2-0 FA Cup defeat to Arsenal in February 2003. Beckham had to be held back following the incident and he joined Real Madrid ahead of the following season.

Ferguson’s finest hour arrived in Barcelona in May 1999, when his United team came from 1-0 down in the 90th minute to beat Bayern Munich 2-1 in the European Champions League final. The win completed an historic treble of titles won during the 1998-99 season, which included the Premier League title and the FA Cup.

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The seven moments which define Alex Ferguson

Everton manager David Moyes (left) and Manchester United’s soon-to-retire boss Alex Ferguson (right) are pictured during the FA Cup semifinal match between their two teams at Wembley Stadium in April 2009. United announced Wednesday that Ferguson, 71, will be retiring at the end of the season after more than a quarter of a century at the helm.

Jose Mourinho, who is now Real Madrid coach, and Moyes look on during the FA Cup fourth round match between Everton and Chelsea at Goodison Park in January 2006 in Liverpool. Both men were potential candidates to replace Ferguson, before Moyes agreed a six-year deal with United.

Moyes is pictured prior to kick off during the English Premier League match between Everton and Fulham at Goodison Park last month. Moyes is leaving Everton at the end of the season after he told the Merseyside club’s chairman Bill Kenwright of his desire to join United and succeed Ferguson.

Moyes urges on his team during the English Premier League match between Arsenal and Everton at the Emirates Stadium in north London last month. The Scot is considered to have done a superb job at Goodison Park given the relatively small financial resources he had at his disposal.

Moyes attends the 24th Hillsborough Anniversary Memorial Service at Anfield last month in Liverpool. Thousands of fans, friends and relatives took part in the service to mark the death of 96 football fans in an FA Cup semifinal match in April 1989.

Other notable attendants of the Hillsborough memorial service were: (from back row, left to right) Everton chairman Bill Kenwright, Moyes, Liverpool manager Brendan Rogers, Liverpool players Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Jordan Henderson, Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre, Linda Pizzuti and her husband — Liverpool’s principal owner John W Henry — and club chairman Tom Werner.

Moyes was made an Honorary Fellow for Outstanding Contributions to football and sportsmanship, by Liverpool John Moores’ University during its annual graduation ceremony at the city’s Anglican Cathedral in July 2011.

Harry Redknapp — then Tottenham manager, but now Queens Park Rangers boss — and Moyes are pictured together after the Sir Bobby Robson Memorial Service at Durham Cathedral in September 2009. Former England manager Robson died aged 76 following a long battle with cancer.

The family of murdered 11-year old boy Rhys Jones stand next to Moyes during a minute’s appreciation before the start of the Premier League match between Everton and Blackburn Rovers at Goodison Park in August 2007. Rhys died after being shot in the neck as he played football with friends outside the Fir Tree pub in Croxteth, Liverpool in August.

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David Moyes: Alex Ferguson’s successor

“Paul is one of the greatest players this club has ever had and ever will have,” said Ferguson, who brought Scholes into the first team from the youth ranks along with a “golden generation” that included David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville.

“I wish you a great retirement and I know you will still be around annoying me!” added the Scot, who will remain at Old Trafford as a director on the board and as a club ambassador.

Read: Moyes named as Ferguson’s successor

One player who didn’t feature in the match was England striker Wayne Rooney, who watched from the stands before joining the celebrations on the pitch.

Ferguson later confirmed that Rooney has asked to leave the club, so he thought it was best to give the 27-year-old time to reflect on his decision.

“I think he wants to think it through in his mind — I think that’s a good idea. We’re not going to let him go,” Ferguson said.

“I think maybe he is a bit frustrated. He has been taken off once or twice in the past couple of weeks.”

Ferguson also revealed that he had made his decision to retire last December because he wanted to spend more time with his wife Cathy, who had recently lost her sister.

The win put United 13 points clear of City ahead of Ferguson’s 1,500th and final United game away to West Brom next Sunday.

City’s season suffered another setback on Saturday with a 1-0 defeat to lowly Wigan in the FA Cup final, which has sparked speculation that manager Roberto Mancini will be sacked.

While City sealed the second of England’s Champions League places last weekend, the other two are still up for grabs.

Tottenham moved above London rivals Arsenal into fourth place with a 2-1 win at Stoke on Sunday, as Emmanuel Adebayor scored the decisive goal with seven minutes to play.

Stoke led early through Steven Nzonzi but Clint Dempsey — who set up Adebayor’s winner — equalized before the home side had Charlie Adam sent off just after halftime.

Arsenal can regain fourth place with victory over Wigan on Tuesday in a match that the third-bottom team needs to win to have any chance of avoiding relegation.

Moyes will leave Everton in sixth place following a 2-0 win over West Ham, with both goals coming from Belgian striker Kevin Mirallas.

Liverpool stayed seventh with a 3-1 win at Fulham as a hat-trick from striker Dean Sturridge meant the London side may need a point in the final round to avoid relegation.

Newcastle and Norwich both won on Sunday to ensure another season in the top flight, respectively beating bottom club Queens Park Rangers 2-1 and eighth-placed West Brom 4-0.

Sunderland could have condemned Wigan to the drop just a day after the club’s biggest success at Wembley, but drew 1-1 with Southampton to stay in the relegation mix.

(CNN) — It was a fitting end to a remarkable era — Alex Ferguson celebrated his final home game as manager of Manchester United with a dramatic late victory against Swansea on Sunday.

While the result made no difference to either side’s season, the jubilation that followed a rare winner from veteran defender Rio Ferdinand brought echoes from some of the 71-year-old’s long list of triumphs in more than quarter of a century at the helm.

“My retirement doesn’t mean the end of my life at the club. I will be able to enjoy watching them rather than suffering with them,” Ferguson told the crowd in pouring rain at Old Trafford, which included his 11 grandchildren in the stands.

“But if you think about it, those last-minute goals, comebacks, even the defeats, are all part of this great football club of ours. It’s been an unbelievable experience so thank you for that.

McClaren: Ferguson’s recipe for success

CNN FC: Moyes replaces Ferguson

McClaren: Moyes was the right choice

“I’d also like to remind you that when we had bad times here the club stood by me, the players stood by me, and your job now is to stand by our new manager. That is important.”

Read: Underdog’s shock FA Cup success

Ferguson’s replacement will be David Moyes, who is leaving United’s English Premier League rivals Everton after more than a decade as manager.

He will begin preparations for United’s title defense when he formally takes over in July, with Ferguson’s legacy being 13 league championships, two European Cups, five FA Cups, four League Cups, one European Cup Winners’ Cup and one FIFA Club World Cup.

This season United regained the EPL crown from bitter rivals Manchester City, securing it with four games to play.

“It has been the most fantastic experience of my life. Thank you,” said Ferguson, the most successful manager in English football.

“I have been very fortunate, I’ve been able to manage some of the greatest players in the country let alone Manchester United.

“All these players here today, they have represented our club the proper way and have won a championship in fantastic fashion. Well done to the players.”

Read: End of an era as Fergie retires

United took the lead six minutes before halftime through striker Javier Hernandez, but Swansea stunned the home fans when Michu volleyed in at the near post just four minutes after the interval for his 18th league goal this season.

If the Spaniard’s effort was a typically predatory strike, Ferdinand’s stunning 87th-minute volley came out of the blue — the former England center-back’s first goal in more than five years.

It also capped a home farewell for 38-year-old midfielder Paul Scholes, who announced on Saturday that he is retiring for the second time and will return to the club’s coaching ranks.

Alex Ferguson has announced he is retiring at the end of this season, having won his 13th English Premier League title in more than 26 years as manager of Manchester United.

The 71-year-old is the most successful and longest-serving manager in United’s history, having also won two European Champions League crowns, five FA Cups and four League Cups.

Ferguson survived a difficult first four years at Manchester United before winning a title — the 1990 FA Cup. Here he celebrates with Bryan Robson, who became the first United captain to lift the trophy three times after beating Crystal Palace 1-0 in the final replay.

Ferguson lifted the European Cup Winners’ Cup for the second time in his career in 1991, when United beat Barcelona 2-1 in the final. He had previously won the now defunct tournament with Scottish club Aberdeen.

In 1993, United won the English title for the first time in 26 years, and Ferguson took the club on a tour of South Africa, where he met Nelson Mandela before the ANC leader became the country’s first post-apartheid president.

Ferguson celebrates with his assistant Brian Kidd after United won the Premiership again in 1994, then went on to secure a domestic double by beating Chelsea in the FA Cup final. United repeated the feat in 1996.

Ferguson with his grandson Jake before the 1999 FA Cup final victory against Newcastle that sealed United’s third double in six years.

Just four days later, United completed a treble with an incredible last-gasp win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League final. Ferguson and keeper Peter Schmeichel hold the trophy in Barcelona.

Ferguson tried to retire more than a decade ago, announcing at the start of the 2001-02 season that it would be his last. However, he changed his mind the following February but United failed to reach the Champions League final — which was to be played in his native Glasgow.

Another European title followed in 2008, but Barcelona handed United disappointment in the 2009 and 2011 finals. However, Ferguson and his players still earned a parade the latter season after winning a record 19th English league title — the Scot’s 12th.

The next season, United commemorated Ferguson’s 25 years as manager on November 5, 2011.

As a player, Ferguson was a prolific goalscorer for Scottish clubs St. Johnstone and Dunfermline, but his big move to Glasgow Rangers in 1967 proved disappointing and he left two years later. He ended his playing days at Ayr in 1974 without winning a major honor.

Ferguson made his name as a manager at Aberdeen. His fourth Scottish Cup win in 1986 was his last success with the Dons, having won three Scottish league titles and the 1983 European Cup Winners’ Cup — beating mighty Real Madrid in the final.

Ferguson, who briefly managed Scotland at the 1986 World Cup, overhauled the squad at Old Trafford and introduced some of the finest players to grace the EPL in the past two decades.

Arguably the most important signing was that of French forward Eric Cantona, a $1.9 million bargain from Leeds who led United’s surge to dominance in the 1990s.

The 1993 addition of young midfielder Roy Keane in a then British record transfer fee of £3.75 million from Nottingham Forest provided United with a ferocious future captain.

Ferguson also introduced young talent such as David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and the Neville brothers Gary and Phil — who all went on to become integral members of his team.

Ferguson played a key role in resurrecting the career of Beckham, who had been vilified by England fans after being sent off during the 1998 World Cup defeat by Argentina.

Ferguson famously beat United’s rivals Manchester City to sign Giggs as a teenager, and the Welsh winger has repaid his faith by staying with the club until the present day.

Ferguson’s signing of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2003 paid off as the Portugal forward fired United to Champions League glory in 2008 and was named world player of the year — the first from the EPL to do so — before joining Real Madrid in a record $130 million deal.

Ferguson is well known for his fiery temper and his motivational skills.

In 2003, he infamously kicked a boot into the face of Beckham in the dressing room after a match, but refused to apologize. “If I’d tried it 100 times or million times, it wouldn’t happen again,” he said. “If it did, I would carry on playing.”

United striker Wayne Rooney said Ferguson’s team talk ahead of the 2008 Champions League final against Chelsea in Moscow “made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.” United denied the London side a first European title after a penalty shootout.

United reached the final again the following season, but lost to Barcelona. Here Ferguson speaks with Britain’s Prince William at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy.

Ferguson’s last match on the European stage was a defeat by Ronaldo’s Real Madrid in the Champions League Round of 16 second-leg match at Old Trafford on March 5, 2013.

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In pictures: The reign of Alex Ferguson

As a player, Alex Ferguson enjoyed a moderately successful career. A prolific striker, he scored 170 goals in 317 appearances including 25 goals in 41 appearances for Glasgow Rangers.

Ferguson was appointed manager of Aberdeen in 1978. In addition to three Scottish First Division titles, Ferguson guided the club to an impressive triumph over Real Madrid in the 1983 European Cup Winners’ Cup.

Ferguson was assistant to Scotland coach Jock Stein during the qualifying campaign for the 1986 World Cup. Scotland secured a 1-1 draw against Wales in their final game to reach the tournament, but Stein collapsed and died following the final whistle in Cardiff.

A late winner from substitute Mark Robbins in an FA Cup replay against Nottingham Forest in January 1990 allegedly spared Ferguson the sack. United went on to beat Crystal Palace at the second attempt in the final, giving Ferguson his first trophy at Old Trafford.

The Scot originally planned to retire from management at the end of the 2001-02 season. But, after helping the team recover from a slip in form which saw them drop as low as ninth in the Premier League table, Ferguson reversed his decision in February 2002 and signed a new three-year contract.

A boot flew into the face of Manchester United’s star midfielder David Beckham after Ferguson lost his temper following a 2-0 FA Cup defeat to Arsenal in February 2003. Beckham had to be held back following the incident and he joined Real Madrid ahead of the following season.

Ferguson’s finest hour arrived in Barcelona in May 1999, when his United team came from 1-0 down in the 90th minute to beat Bayern Munich 2-1 in the European Champions League final. The win completed an historic treble of titles won during the 1998-99 season, which included the Premier League title and the FA Cup.

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The seven moments which define Alex Ferguson

Everton manager David Moyes (left) and Manchester United’s soon-to-retire boss Alex Ferguson (right) are pictured during the FA Cup semifinal match between their two teams at Wembley Stadium in April 2009. United announced Wednesday that Ferguson, 71, will be retiring at the end of the season after more than a quarter of a century at the helm.

Jose Mourinho, who is now Real Madrid coach, and Moyes look on during the FA Cup fourth round match between Everton and Chelsea at Goodison Park in January 2006 in Liverpool. Both men were potential candidates to replace Ferguson, before Moyes agreed a six-year deal with United.

Moyes is pictured prior to kick off during the English Premier League match between Everton and Fulham at Goodison Park last month. Moyes is leaving Everton at the end of the season after he told the Merseyside club’s chairman Bill Kenwright of his desire to join United and succeed Ferguson.

Moyes urges on his team during the English Premier League match between Arsenal and Everton at the Emirates Stadium in north London last month. The Scot is considered to have done a superb job at Goodison Park given the relatively small financial resources he had at his disposal.

Moyes attends the 24th Hillsborough Anniversary Memorial Service at Anfield last month in Liverpool. Thousands of fans, friends and relatives took part in the service to mark the death of 96 football fans in an FA Cup semifinal match in April 1989.

Other notable attendants of the Hillsborough memorial service were: (from back row, left to right) Everton chairman Bill Kenwright, Moyes, Liverpool manager Brendan Rogers, Liverpool players Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Jordan Henderson, Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre, Linda Pizzuti and her husband — Liverpool’s principal owner John W Henry — and club chairman Tom Werner.

Moyes was made an Honorary Fellow for Outstanding Contributions to football and sportsmanship, by Liverpool John Moores’ University during its annual graduation ceremony at the city’s Anglican Cathedral in July 2011.

Harry Redknapp — then Tottenham manager, but now Queens Park Rangers boss — and Moyes are pictured together after the Sir Bobby Robson Memorial Service at Durham Cathedral in September 2009. Former England manager Robson died aged 76 following a long battle with cancer.

The family of murdered 11-year old boy Rhys Jones stand next to Moyes during a minute’s appreciation before the start of the Premier League match between Everton and Blackburn Rovers at Goodison Park in August 2007. Rhys died after being shot in the neck as he played football with friends outside the Fir Tree pub in Croxteth, Liverpool in August.

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David Moyes: Alex Ferguson’s successor

“Paul is one of the greatest players this club has ever had and ever will have,” said Ferguson, who brought Scholes into the first team from the youth ranks along with a “golden generation” that included David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville.

“I wish you a great retirement and I know you will still be around annoying me!” added the Scot, who will remain at Old Trafford as a director on the board and as a club ambassador.

Read: Moyes named as Ferguson’s successor

One player who didn’t feature in the match was England striker Wayne Rooney, who watched from the stands before joining the celebrations on the pitch.

Ferguson later confirmed that Rooney has asked to leave the club, so he thought it was best to give the 27-year-old time to reflect on his decision.

“I think he wants to think it through in his mind — I think that’s a good idea. We’re not going to let him go,” Ferguson said.

“I think maybe he is a bit frustrated. He has been taken off once or twice in the past couple of weeks.”

Ferguson also revealed that he had made his decision to retire last December because he wanted to spend more time with his wife Cathy, who had recently lost her sister.

The win put United 13 points clear of City ahead of Ferguson’s 1,500th and final United game away to West Brom next Sunday.

City’s season suffered another setback on Saturday with a 1-0 defeat to lowly Wigan in the FA Cup final, which has sparked speculation that manager Roberto Mancini will be sacked.

While City sealed the second of England’s Champions League places last weekend, the other two are still up for grabs.

Tottenham moved above London rivals Arsenal into fourth place with a 2-1 win at Stoke on Sunday, as Emmanuel Adebayor scored the decisive goal with seven minutes to play.

Stoke led early through Steven Nzonzi but Clint Dempsey — who set up Adebayor’s winner — equalized before the home side had Charlie Adam sent off just after halftime.

Arsenal can regain fourth place with victory over Wigan on Tuesday in a match that the third-bottom team needs to win to have any chance of avoiding relegation.

Moyes will leave Everton in sixth place following a 2-0 win over West Ham, with both goals coming from Belgian striker Kevin Mirallas.

Liverpool stayed seventh with a 3-1 win at Fulham as a hat-trick from striker Dean Sturridge meant the London side may need a point in the final round to avoid relegation.

Newcastle and Norwich both won on Sunday to ensure another season in the top flight, respectively beating bottom club Queens Park Rangers 2-1 and eighth-placed West Brom 4-0.

Sunderland could have condemned Wigan to the drop just a day after the club’s biggest success at Wembley, but drew 1-1 with Southampton to stay in the relegation mix.

Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson announced he will retire at the end of the English Premier League season. Ferguson has managed the team for 26 years, making him the longest-serving manager in Premier League history.

Mike Krzyzewski, also known as Coach K, has coached Duke University’s men’s basketball team since 1980, putting him in his 33rd season as head coach.

Eddie Robinson served as Grambling State University’s head football coach for 57 seasons from 1941 to 1997. Robinson — here listening to the national anthem before his final game — coached more than 4,000 players.

Al Arbour coached the New York Islanders for 20 years, with a year-long stint as vice president of player development for the team in 1987.

Andy Landers has coached the University of Georgia Lady Bulldogs basketball team since 1979 and continues to this day.

Head coach emeritus Pat Summitt of the Tennessee Lady Volunteers is the all-time winningest coach in NCAA history of either men’s or women’s teams. She coached for 38 years before stepping down in 2012 to fight early onset dementia.

Gregg Popovich is in his 17th year as coach of the San Antonio Spurs.

Tom Landry coached the Dallas Cowboys from 1960 to 1988 and turned the team into one of the most dominant in the National Football League until the early ’80s.

Connie Mack managed the Philadelphia Athletics, now based in Oakland, California, from 1901 until his retirement at age 88 in 1950.

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Photos: Longest-serving coaches in sports

How Ferguson inspires players

How to manage like Alex Ferguson

Ferguson’s retirement ‘a sad day’

(CNN) — From a 2-0 defeat at Oxford United on November 6, 1986 to a English Premier League coronation party through the streets of Manchester on May 13.

Alex Ferguson’s 26-year reign at Manchester United has seen the club transformed from a sleeping giant to a relentless, trophy-winning juggernaut in both the football arena and the sports business world.

Following Wednesday’s announcement that the Scot, the most successful coach in English football history, will end his Old Trafford tenure, CNN marks seven moments which have defined Ferguson’s career.

Sacked by St Mirren

Ferguson’s managerial career has been littered with glorious highs, but it has not been without its lows, none more so than in 1978 when Ferguson was in charge of Scottish team St Mirren.

Alex Ferguson has announced he is retiring at the end of this season, having won his 13th English Premier League title in more than 26 years as manager of Manchester United.

The 71-year-old is the most successful and longest-serving manager in United’s history, having also won two European Champions League crowns, five FA Cups and four League Cups.

Ferguson survived a difficult first four years at Manchester United before winning a title — the 1990 FA Cup. Here he celebrates with Bryan Robson, who became the first United captain to lift the trophy three times after beating Crystal Palace 1-0 in the final replay.

Ferguson lifted the European Cup Winners’ Cup for the second time in his career in 1991, when United beat Barcelona 2-1 in the final. He had previously won the now defunct tournament with Scottish club Aberdeen.

In 1993, United won the English title for the first time in 26 years, and Ferguson took the club on a tour of South Africa, where he met Nelson Mandela before the ANC leader became the country’s first post-apartheid president.

Ferguson celebrates with his assistant Brian Kidd after United won the Premiership again in 1994, then went on to secure a domestic double by beating Chelsea in the FA Cup final. United repeated the feat in 1996.

Ferguson with his grandson Jake before the 1999 FA Cup final victory against Newcastle that sealed United’s third double in six years.

Just four days later, United completed a treble with an incredible last-gasp win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League final. Ferguson and keeper Peter Schmeichel hold the trophy in Barcelona.

Ferguson tried to retire more than a decade ago, announcing at the start of the 2001-02 season that it would be his last. However, he changed his mind the following February but United failed to reach the Champions League final — which was to be played in his native Glasgow.

Another European title followed in 2008, but Barcelona handed United disappointment in the 2009 and 2011 finals. However, Ferguson and his players still earned a parade the latter season after winning a record 19th English league title — the Scot’s 12th.

The next season, United commemorated Ferguson’s 25 years as manager on November 5, 2011.

As a player, Ferguson was a prolific goalscorer for Scottish clubs St. Johnstone and Dunfermline, but his big move to Glasgow Rangers in 1967 proved disappointing and he left two years later. He ended his playing days at Ayr in 1974 without winning a major honor.

Ferguson made his name as a manager at Aberdeen. His fourth Scottish Cup win in 1986 was his last success with the Dons, having won three Scottish league titles and the 1983 European Cup Winners’ Cup — beating mighty Real Madrid in the final.

Ferguson, who briefly managed Scotland at the 1986 World Cup, overhauled the squad at Old Trafford and introduced some of the finest players to grace the EPL in the past two decades.

Arguably the most important signing was that of French forward Eric Cantona, a $1.9 million bargain from Leeds who led United’s surge to dominance in the 1990s.

The 1993 addition of young midfielder Roy Keane in a then British record transfer fee of £3.75 million from Nottingham Forest provided United with a ferocious future captain.

Ferguson also introduced young talent such as David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and the Neville brothers Gary and Phil — who all went on to become integral members of his team.

Ferguson played a key role in resurrecting the career of Beckham, who had been vilified by England fans after being sent off during the 1998 World Cup defeat by Argentina.

Ferguson famously beat United’s rivals Manchester City to sign Giggs as a teenager, and the Welsh winger has repaid his faith by staying with the club until the present day.

Ferguson’s signing of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2003 paid off as the Portugal forward fired United to Champions League glory in 2008 and was named world player of the year — the first from the EPL to do so — before joining Real Madrid in a record $130 million deal.

Ferguson is well known for his fiery temper and his motivational skills.

In 2003, he infamously kicked a boot into the face of Beckham in the dressing room after a match, but refused to apologize. “If I’d tried it 100 times or million times, it wouldn’t happen again,” he said. “If it did, I would carry on playing.”

United striker Wayne Rooney said Ferguson’s team talk ahead of the 2008 Champions League final against Chelsea in Moscow “made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.” United denied the London side a first European title after a penalty shootout.

United reached the final again the following season, but lost to Barcelona. Here Ferguson speaks with Britain’s Prince William at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy.

Ferguson’s last match on the European stage was a defeat by Ronaldo’s Real Madrid in the Champions League Round of 16 second-leg match at Old Trafford on March 5, 2013.

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In pictures: The reign of Alex Ferguson

Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson announced he will retire at the end of the English Premier League season. Ferguson has managed the team for 26 years, making him the longest-serving manager in Premier League history.

Mike Krzyzewski, also known as Coach K, has coached Duke University’s men’s basketball team since 1980, putting him in his 33rd season as head coach.

Eddie Robinson served as Grambling State University’s head football coach for 57 seasons from 1941 to 1997. Robinson — here listening to the national anthem before his final game — coached more than 4,000 players.

Al Arbour coached the New York Islanders for 20 years, with a year-long stint as vice president of player development for the team in 1987.

Andy Landers has coached the University of Georgia Lady Bulldogs basketball team since 1979 and continues to this day.

Head coach emeritus Pat Summitt of the Tennessee Lady Volunteers is the all-time winningest coach in NCAA history of either men’s or women’s teams. She coached for 38 years before stepping down in 2012 to fight early onset dementia.

Gregg Popovich is in his 17th year as coach of the San Antonio Spurs.

Tom Landry coached the Dallas Cowboys from 1960 to 1988 and turned the team into one of the most dominant in the National Football League until the early ’80s.

Connie Mack managed the Philadelphia Athletics, now based in Oakland, California, from 1901 until his retirement at age 88 in 1950.

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Photos: Longest-serving coaches in sports

Ferguson’s retirement ‘a sad day’

Alex Ferguson’s football legacy

He oversaw a remarkable upturn in St MIrren’s fortunes which saw the unheralded club win the second-tier of Scottish football in 1977 with a squad which bore classic hallmarks of a Ferguson team, notably his faith in young players. That St Mirren side had an average age of just 19.

But he was unceremoniously sacked by then St Mirren chairman Willie Todd for what he described as “breaches of contract” relating to the manager’s decision to join Aberdeen.

Read: “King” Ferguson may be out, but brand will survive

”I regret the fact Alex did not stay longer at St Mirren and I regret the circumstances of his departure, but I still believe that the club had no alternative,” Todd told Scottish newspaper the Herald in May 1999.

“There were no grudges. I’ve met him several times at football matches since then and our relationship is quite amicable.”

Aberdeen roll over Real Madrid

Ferguson was finally appointed as Aberdeen manager in June 1978 and unprecedented success followed for the Scottish club.

Alex Ferguson’s Man U trophies collection

Premier League: 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013

FA Cup: 1990, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004

League Cup: 1992, 2006, 2009, 2010

Champions League: 1999, 2008

Cup Winners Cup: 1991

Fifa Club World Cup: 2008

Uefa Super Cup: 1991

Inter-Continental Cup: 1999

FA Charity/Community Shield: 1990 (shared), 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011

He broke the duopoly of Glasgow Rangers and Celtic, guiding Aberdeen to three Scottish League titles in 1980, 1984 and 1985.

However, arguably Ferguson’s finest moment with Aberdeen was on the European stage.

Read: Manchester United’s Asian appeal

Following a Scottish Cup triumph in 1982, Aberdeen qualified for the European Cup Winners’ Cup.

Ferguson’s team reached the final, with a 3-2 quarterfinal second-leg victory over Bayern Munich one of the many highlights of an impressive campaign.

In the final, held in Gothenberg on May 11, 1983, Aberdeen faced Spanish giants Real Madrid, managed by the great Alfredo Di Stefano.

The match finished in a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes, before striker John Hewitt scored the winner for Aberdeen in extra-time.

Jock Stein’s death

One of the most poignant moments of Ferguson’s career arrived just over a year before he was appointed to the United job.

Ferguson was part of Jock Stein’s coaching staff with the Scottish national team ahead of a crucial 1986 World Cup qualifying match against Wales in Cardiff.

Scotland needed a point to reach the tournament in Mexico, which they duly acquired following a 1-1 draw.

But the match was overshadowed when Stein, the first British coach to win the European Cup with Celtic in 1967, collapsed after the final whistle.

“I grabbed for him as he started to fall,” Ferguson recalled, when talking to the Daily Mail in 2012. “The medics came out of the tunnel. I held him until he was helped inside.

“When I left to speak to the press I saw Graeme Souness and he was crying. ‘I think he’s gone,’ Graeme said. I couldn’t believe it.

“When we filed on to the bus there were thousands standing outside and the quiet sadness of the atmosphere was unforgettable. The abiding memory is of a solemn silence. It was as if the king had died.

“In football terms, the king had died.”

2012: Ferguson: ‘Racism still exists’

2012: Ferguson talks to CNN

Ferguson coached Scotland at the 1986 World Cup, but the team headed home after the first round following a group phase campaign which yielded just one point.

After watching the pressures of football get the better of his mentor, it raises the question of whether Stein’s death played a role in Ferguson’s decision to bow out on his own terms.

FA Cup redemption

After a trophy-laden spell at Pittodrie with Aberdeen, Ferguson headed south to join United in 1986, but his early days at Old Trafford were a world away from the glorious success he enjoyed in the 1990s and 2000s.

Two seasons passed without a trophy and after eight league games without a win, it was suggested Ferguson would be sacked if United lost an FA Cup replay against Nottingham Forest on January 7 1990 .

Substitute Mark Robins scored the winner to send United into the next round and, allegedly, save Fergie’s job.

Ferguson went on to mastermind a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace in an FA Cup final replay after the first match finished 3-3 to secure the Scot’s first trophy at Old Trafford.

The silverware continued to flow, with an English Premier League title — the club’s first in 26 years — arriving in 1993.

Deja vu?

Ferguson’s retirement was originally scheduled for 11 years ago. The Scot announced in 2001 that the forthcoming season would be his last, hoping his decision to break the news in advance would allow the club to make suitable succession plans.

But it had the opposite effect and, by November 2001, defending champions United sat ninth in the Premier League table.

By January 2002, after an eight-match winning run, United had risen to the top of the table and the next month Ferguson reversed his decision to retire from the game by signing a new three-year contract at Old Trafford.

Bobby Charlton: Ferguson’s best moment

Will Mourinho replace Ferguson?

The rest, as they say, is history. Six further English titles have followed, along with an FA Cup triumph and the Champions League in 2008.

The Flying Boot

In addition to the trophies and the accolades, there have been plenty of spats, with numerous star players feeling the heat of Ferguson’s infamous “hairdryer” treatment.

Notably when a “one in a million” flying boot caught David Beckham above the left eye, an incident which dominated the headlines like no other flare up between Ferguson and one of his charges.

Following a 2-0 FA Cup defeat to Arsenal in February 2003, Ferguson launched a tirade at his star midfielder which, according to Beckham’s autobiography, went along the lines of “David, what about the second goal? What were you doing? . . . We told you about it before the game. The problem with you is you don’t let anyone talk to you. You don’t listen’.

“I felt like I was being bullied in public,” explained Beckham, who now plays for Paris Saint-Germain. “I was being backed into a corner for no other reason than spite. I was trapped.”

Beckham swore at Ferguson and bedlam ensued.

“The boss took a step or two towards me,” Beckham continued. “There was a boot on the floor. He swung his leg and kicked it. At me? At the wall? It could have been anywhere, he was that angry now.

“I went for the gaffer. I don’t know if I’ve ever lost control like that before. Suddenly it was like some mad scene out of a gangster movie.”

Beckham’s teammates held him back, but after the incident, the then England captain appeared with a medical dressing over the cut above his eye.

“It was a freakish incident,” Ferguson reportedly said. “If I tried it 100 or a million times it couldn’t happen again. If I could I would have carried on playing!”

An increasingly tempestuous relationship between the two personalities came to an end on 1 July 2003, when Beckham left Manchester United to join Real Madrid.

Treble

May 26, 1999, was a night which simultaneously defied belief and defined Ferguson’s Manchester United reign.

United were chasing history. The league title had been wrapped up, beating Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal to the Premier League title by just one point.

FA Cup success followed. Goals from striker Teddy Sheringham and midfielder Paul Scholes secured a straight-forward 2-0 win over Newcastle United in the final at Wembley.

Ferguson’s team were one step away from securing an unprecedented Premier League, FA Cup and European Champions League treble.

United’s opponents in the European Cup final at Barcelona’s Nou Camp stadium were Bayern Munich and the Germans looked set to win the showpiece match after Mario Basler’s first-half free-kick put them 1-0 ahead.

In search of a way back into the match, Ferguson threw on substitutes Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

As the game ticked into extra-time, United earned a corner. Goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel raced forward in a desperate attempt to force an equalizer.

The initial cross was cleared, but the ball fell to Ryan Giggs whose low shot from the edge of the box was turned into the net by Sheringham.

Cue jubilant celebrations among United players, fans and coaching staff, but uncontained joy was to follow seconds later.

United earned another corner kick in the final seconds of injury time. Sheringham flicked on Beckham’s cross at the near post and Solskjaer flung his right leg at the header to send the ball flying into the back of the net.

Bayern were beaten, United had completed an historic treble.

As Ferguson remarked to ITV after the incredible climax, “football, bloody hell.”

Obama: Palestinians deserve own state

Gaza war: Both sides accused of crimes

Hawking is also unable currently to fly for health reasons, the spokesman said.

Cambridge University initially said Hawking’s poor health was the reason he was no longer attending, according to local media reports. Hawking, who is quadriplegic as a result of an incurable degenerative disease, has had repeated health problems.

Hawking’s letter said he had first accepted the invitation “to express my opinion on the prospects for a peace settlement but also because it would allow me to lecture on the West Bank,” the conference organizers said.

His decision to boycott the conference, hosted by Israeli President Shimon Peres, a Nobel peace laureate, has prompted a “Twitterstorm.”

Some tweeters accuse him of anti-Semitism or comment on his physical disabilities, while others applaud his support for the Palestinian academics.

(CNN) — From a 2-0 defeat at Oxford United on November 6, 1986 to a English Premier League coronation party through the streets of Manchester on May 13.

Alex Ferguson’s 26-year reign at Manchester United has seen the club transformed from a sleeping giant to a relentless, trophy-winning juggernaut in both the football arena and the sports business world.

Following Wednesday’s announcement that the Scot, the most successful coach in English football history, will end his Old Trafford tenure, CNN marks seven moments which have defined Ferguson’s career.

Sacked by St Mirren

Ferguson’s managerial career has been littered with glorious highs, but it has not been without its lows, none more so than in 1978 when Ferguson was in charge of Scottish team St Mirren.

Alex Ferguson has announced he is retiring at the end of this season, having won his 13th English Premier League title in more than 26 years as manager of Manchester United.

The 71-year-old is the most successful and longest-serving manager in United’s history, having also won two European Champions League crowns, five FA Cups and four League Cups.

Ferguson survived a difficult first four years at Manchester United before winning a title — the 1990 FA Cup. Here he celebrates with Bryan Robson, who became the first United captain to lift the trophy three times after beating Crystal Palace 1-0 in the final replay.

Ferguson lifted the European Cup Winners’ Cup for the second time in his career in 1991, when United beat Barcelona 2-1 in the final. He had previously won the now defunct tournament with Scottish club Aberdeen.

In 1993, United won the English title for the first time in 26 years, and Ferguson took the club on a tour of South Africa, where he met Nelson Mandela before the ANC leader became the country’s first post-apartheid president.

Ferguson celebrates with his assistant Brian Kidd after United won the Premiership again in 1994, then went on to secure a domestic double by beating Chelsea in the FA Cup final. United repeated the feat in 1996.

Ferguson with his grandson Jake before the 1999 FA Cup final victory against Newcastle that sealed United’s third double in six years.

Just four days later, United completed a treble with an incredible last-gasp win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League final. Ferguson and keeper Peter Schmeichel hold the trophy in Barcelona.

Ferguson tried to retire more than a decade ago, announcing at the start of the 2001-02 season that it would be his last. However, he changed his mind the following February but United failed to reach the Champions League final — which was to be played in his native Glasgow.

Another European title followed in 2008, but Barcelona handed United disappointment in the 2009 and 2011 finals. However, Ferguson and his players still earned a parade the latter season after winning a record 19th English league title — the Scot’s 12th.

The next season, United commemorated Ferguson’s 25 years as manager on November 5, 2011.

As a player, Ferguson was a prolific goalscorer for Scottish clubs St. Johnstone and Dunfermline, but his big move to Glasgow Rangers in 1967 proved disappointing and he left two years later. He ended his playing days at Ayr in 1974 without winning a major honor.

Ferguson made his name as a manager at Aberdeen. His fourth Scottish Cup win in 1986 was his last success with the Dons, having won three Scottish league titles and the 1983 European Cup Winners’ Cup — beating mighty Real Madrid in the final.

Ferguson, who briefly managed Scotland at the 1986 World Cup, overhauled the squad at Old Trafford and introduced some of the finest players to grace the EPL in the past two decades.

Arguably the most important signing was that of French forward Eric Cantona, a $1.9 million bargain from Leeds who led United’s surge to dominance in the 1990s.

The 1993 addition of young midfielder Roy Keane in a then British record transfer fee of £3.75 million from Nottingham Forest provided United with a ferocious future captain.

Ferguson also introduced young talent such as David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and the Neville brothers Gary and Phil — who all went on to become integral members of his team.

Ferguson played a key role in resurrecting the career of Beckham, who had been vilified by England fans after being sent off during the 1998 World Cup defeat by Argentina.

Ferguson famously beat United’s rivals Manchester City to sign Giggs as a teenager, and the Welsh winger has repaid his faith by staying with the club until the present day.

Ferguson’s signing of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2003 paid off as the Portugal forward fired United to Champions League glory in 2008 and was named world player of the year — the first from the EPL to do so — before joining Real Madrid in a record $130 million deal.

Ferguson is well known for his fiery temper and his motivational skills.

In 2003, he infamously kicked a boot into the face of Beckham in the dressing room after a match, but refused to apologize. “If I’d tried it 100 times or million times, it wouldn’t happen again,” he said. “If it did, I would carry on playing.”

United striker Wayne Rooney said Ferguson’s team talk ahead of the 2008 Champions League final against Chelsea in Moscow “made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.” United denied the London side a first European title after a penalty shootout.

United reached the final again the following season, but lost to Barcelona. Here Ferguson speaks with Britain’s Prince William at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy.

Ferguson’s last match on the European stage was a defeat by Ronaldo’s Real Madrid in the Champions League Round of 16 second-leg match at Old Trafford on March 5, 2013.

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In pictures: The reign of Alex Ferguson

Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson announced he will retire at the end of the English Premier League season. Ferguson has managed the team for 26 years, making him the longest-serving manager in Premier League history.

Mike Krzyzewski, also known as Coach K, has coached Duke University’s men’s basketball team since 1980, putting him in his 33rd season as head coach.

Eddie Robinson served as Grambling State University’s head football coach for 57 seasons from 1941 to 1997. Robinson — here listening to the national anthem before his final game — coached more than 4,000 players.

Al Arbour coached the New York Islanders for 20 years, with a year-long stint as vice president of player development for the team in 1987.

Andy Landers has coached the University of Georgia Lady Bulldogs basketball team since 1979 and continues to this day.

Head coach emeritus Pat Summitt of the Tennessee Lady Volunteers is the all-time winningest coach in NCAA history of either men’s or women’s teams. She coached for 38 years before stepping down in 2012 to fight early onset dementia.

Gregg Popovich is in his 17th year as coach of the San Antonio Spurs.

Tom Landry coached the Dallas Cowboys from 1960 to 1988 and turned the team into one of the most dominant in the National Football League until the early ’80s.

Connie Mack managed the Philadelphia Athletics, now based in Oakland, California, from 1901 until his retirement at age 88 in 1950.

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Photos: Longest-serving coaches in sports

Ferguson’s retirement ‘a sad day’

Alex Ferguson’s football legacy

He oversaw a remarkable upturn in St MIrren’s fortunes which saw the unheralded club win the second-tier of Scottish football in 1977 with a squad which bore classic hallmarks of a Ferguson team, notably his faith in young players. That St Mirren side had an average age of just 19.

But he was unceremoniously sacked by then St Mirren chairman Willie Todd for what he described as “breaches of contract” relating to the manager’s decision to join Aberdeen.

Read: “King” Ferguson may be out, but brand will survive

”I regret the fact Alex did not stay longer at St Mirren and I regret the circumstances of his departure, but I still believe that the club had no alternative,” Todd told Scottish newspaper the Herald in May 1999.

“There were no grudges. I’ve met him several times at football matches since then and our relationship is quite amicable.”

Aberdeen roll over Real Madrid

Ferguson was finally appointed as Aberdeen manager in June 1978 and unprecedented success followed for the Scottish club.

Alex Ferguson’s Man U trophies collection

Premier League: 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013

FA Cup: 1990, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004

League Cup: 1992, 2006, 2009, 2010

Champions League: 1999, 2008

Cup Winners Cup: 1991

Fifa Club World Cup: 2008

Uefa Super Cup: 1991

Inter-Continental Cup: 1999

FA Charity/Community Shield: 1990 (shared), 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011

He broke the duopoly of Glasgow Rangers and Celtic, guiding Aberdeen to three Scottish League titles in 1980, 1984 and 1985.

However, arguably Ferguson’s finest moment with Aberdeen was on the European stage.

Read: Manchester United’s Asian appeal

Following a Scottish Cup triumph in 1982, Aberdeen qualified for the European Cup Winners’ Cup.

Ferguson’s team reached the final, with a 3-2 quarterfinal second-leg victory over Bayern Munich one of the many highlights of an impressive campaign.

In the final, held in Gothenberg on May 11, 1983, Aberdeen faced Spanish giants Real Madrid, managed by the great Alfredo Di Stefano.

The match finished in a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes, before striker John Hewitt scored the winner for Aberdeen in extra-time.

Jock Stein’s death

One of the most poignant moments of Ferguson’s career arrived just over a year before he was appointed to the United job.

Ferguson was part of Jock Stein’s coaching staff with the Scottish national team ahead of a crucial 1986 World Cup qualifying match against Wales in Cardiff.

Scotland needed a point to reach the tournament in Mexico, which they duly acquired following a 1-1 draw.

But the match was overshadowed when Stein, the first British coach to win the European Cup with Celtic in 1967, collapsed after the final whistle.

“I grabbed for him as he started to fall,” Ferguson recalled, when talking to the Daily Mail in 2012. “The medics came out of the tunnel. I held him until he was helped inside.

“When I left to speak to the press I saw Graeme Souness and he was crying. ‘I think he’s gone,’ Graeme said. I couldn’t believe it.

“When we filed on to the bus there were thousands standing outside and the quiet sadness of the atmosphere was unforgettable. The abiding memory is of a solemn silence. It was as if the king had died.

“In football terms, the king had died.”

2012: Ferguson: ‘Racism still exists’

2012: Ferguson talks to CNN

Ferguson coached Scotland at the 1986 World Cup, but the team headed home after the first round following a group phase campaign which yielded just one point.

After watching the pressures of football get the better of his mentor, it raises the question of whether Stein’s death played a role in Ferguson’s decision to bow out on his own terms.

FA Cup redemption

After a trophy-laden spell at Pittodrie with Aberdeen, Ferguson headed south to join United in 1986, but his early days at Old Trafford were a world away from the glorious success he enjoyed in the 1990s and 2000s.

Two seasons passed without a trophy and after eight league games without a win, it was suggested Ferguson would be sacked if United lost an FA Cup replay against Nottingham Forest on January 7 1990 .

Substitute Mark Robins scored the winner to send United into the next round and, allegedly, save Fergie’s job.

Ferguson went on to mastermind a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace in an FA Cup final replay after the first match finished 3-3 to secure the Scot’s first trophy at Old Trafford.

The silverware continued to flow, with an English Premier League title — the club’s first in 26 years — arriving in 1993.

Deja vu?

Ferguson’s retirement was originally scheduled for 11 years ago. The Scot announced in 2001 that the forthcoming season would be his last, hoping his decision to break the news in advance would allow the club to make suitable succession plans.

But it had the opposite effect and, by November 2001, defending champions United sat ninth in the Premier League table.

By January 2002, after an eight-match winning run, United had risen to the top of the table and the next month Ferguson reversed his decision to retire from the game by signing a new three-year contract at Old Trafford.

Bobby Charlton: Ferguson’s best moment

Will Mourinho replace Ferguson?

The rest, as they say, is history. Six further English titles have followed, along with an FA Cup triumph and the Champions League in 2008.

The Flying Boot

In addition to the trophies and the accolades, there have been plenty of spats, with numerous star players feeling the heat of Ferguson’s infamous “hairdryer” treatment.

Notably when a “one in a million” flying boot caught David Beckham above the left eye, an incident which dominated the headlines like no other flare up between Ferguson and one of his charges.

Following a 2-0 FA Cup defeat to Arsenal in February 2003, Ferguson launched a tirade at his star midfielder which, according to Beckham’s autobiography, went along the lines of “David, what about the second goal? What were you doing? . . . We told you about it before the game. The problem with you is you don’t let anyone talk to you. You don’t listen’.

“I felt like I was being bullied in public,” explained Beckham, who now plays for Paris Saint-Germain. “I was being backed into a corner for no other reason than spite. I was trapped.”

Beckham swore at Ferguson and bedlam ensued.

“The boss took a step or two towards me,” Beckham continued. “There was a boot on the floor. He swung his leg and kicked it. At me? At the wall? It could have been anywhere, he was that angry now.

“I went for the gaffer. I don’t know if I’ve ever lost control like that before. Suddenly it was like some mad scene out of a gangster movie.”

Beckham’s teammates held him back, but after the incident, the then England captain appeared with a medical dressing over the cut above his eye.

“It was a freakish incident,” Ferguson reportedly said. “If I tried it 100 or a million times it couldn’t happen again. If I could I would have carried on playing!”

An increasingly tempestuous relationship between the two personalities came to an end on 1 July 2003, when Beckham left Manchester United to join Real Madrid.

Treble

May 26, 1999, was a night which simultaneously defied belief and defined Ferguson’s Manchester United reign.

United were chasing history. The league title had been wrapped up, beating Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal to the Premier League title by just one point.

FA Cup success followed. Goals from striker Teddy Sheringham and midfielder Paul Scholes secured a straight-forward 2-0 win over Newcastle United in the final at Wembley.

Ferguson’s team were one step away from securing an unprecedented Premier League, FA Cup and European Champions League treble.

United’s opponents in the European Cup final at Barcelona’s Nou Camp stadium were Bayern Munich and the Germans looked set to win the showpiece match after Mario Basler’s first-half free-kick put them 1-0 ahead.

In search of a way back into the match, Ferguson threw on substitutes Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

As the game ticked into extra-time, United earned a corner. Goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel raced forward in a desperate attempt to force an equalizer.

The initial cross was cleared, but the ball fell to Ryan Giggs whose low shot from the edge of the box was turned into the net by Sheringham.

Cue jubilant celebrations among United players, fans and coaching staff, but uncontained joy was to follow seconds later.

United earned another corner kick in the final seconds of injury time. Sheringham flicked on Beckham’s cross at the near post and Solskjaer flung his right leg at the header to send the ball flying into the back of the net.

Bayern were beaten, United had completed an historic treble.

As Ferguson remarked to ITV after the incredible climax, “football, bloody hell.”