An interview of Sir Alex Ferguson. The one that has granted in The Guardian It is not to talk about the situation of Manchester United, the Glazer family or the European Super League. The only reason that has led the former Manchester United coach to speak to the press is the upcoming publication of a documentary about his life, “Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In”, which can be seen from May 27.
At the interview, Ferguson talks about one of Cristiano Ronaldo's best qualities: “At United, all the best players were mentally tough. Ronaldo is tough, honestly, like old boots. He was always going to be a great footballer. We played a role in that because Eric Harrison, the youth coach, made it more difficult for the youth. He said: 'If you don't have mental toughness, you will never make the United first team. “
The documentary explains his life from childhood to his brain hemorrhage in May 2018, when he nearly died in his own home. In his early days at Manchester United, his son Mark remembers the abuse he suffered in the first three years at the club, even though he later became a cult person: “Everything was bigger than Aberdeen. The club, the stadium, the media. It was the first time I experienced the adverse reactions to my father's losses. And it was very difficult. It's not working, you're not going to be successful here. It's killing us. “
How could it be otherwise, one of the highlights of the documentary is the achievement of the treble in 1999, where they achieved the Champions League with a win against Bayern Munich in the final minutes. Did Ferguson think they could win that match in the final minutes? “No way! I was thinking about what I would say to the players: 'You guys had a great season …'. And then we won the final.”
Finally, he explains his current relationship with Rangers, the club in which he played: “The only time I support Rangers is when they play Celtic. My son Jason is from Celtic and I love calling him when we beat them. The funny thing is that the only team I always look for on a Saturday night to see how they turned out is Queen's Park, my first team, “he explains. And talks about Steven Gerrard's role at Rangers:” He's doing great. A press conference can make you lose a coaching position, but theirs are great. It's top, hers are an art “