Ferguson reflects on brain haemorrhage recovery and defining moments in new memoir

Sir Alex Ferguson was terrified. The man who had spent 26 years making Manchester United into a dynasty, who had barked orders and thrown hairdryers in anger, who had won 38 trophies and bent English football to his will, was afraid of what might happen when he walked back into Old Trafford.

It was September 2018, four months after a brain haemorrhage had nearly killed him. Ferguson, then 76, had undergone emergency surgery and lost his voice entirely in the days that followed. He spent those frightening hours unable to speak, watching his grandsons visit him in the hospital while he sat silent. A therapist came and asked him to write down the names of birds, animals, rivers—small exercises that slowly brought his voice back. Now, at 84, approaching his 85th birthday, he was returning to the stadium where he had built everything. He did not know if the supporters would welcome him or if something had broken in him that could not be repaired.

When Ferguson and his wife Cathy took their seats in the directors' box before United faced Wolves in the Premier League, the crowd rose. A standing ovation filled the stadium. His wife was nearly crying. "When we sat down, she said 'that's fantastic'," Ferguson recalled in an interview with BBC Breakfast. He need not have worried about his reception, but the fear had been real.

Now Ferguson is releasing a new book, "Games of My Life," which traces 21 defining matches from his playing and managerial career. The book moves backward through time, from his retirement in 2013 all the way to 1955, when he won a cup final for Govan High School in Glasgow at age 13—a medal he still holds. Ferguson describes growing up in Govan as "the making of me." His mother Elizabeth gave him inner confidence; his father Alexander, who worked in the Govan shipyards, gave him a drive to succeed and never let praise go to his head. When young Alex scored a hat-trick, his mother would celebrate. His father would offer tough constructive criticism instead.

Ferguson's playing career nearly ended before it began. After making his debut at 16 for Queen's Park, he moved to St Johnstone and found himself stuck in the reserves, unhappy and going nowhere. He filled out immigration forms and called his aunt in Canada, looking for a sponsor to start a new life. He never told his parents. Then, the next day, a flu bug decimated St Johnstone's squad. The 21-year-old Ferguson was promoted to the starting XI for a match against Rangers at Ibrox. He scored a hat-trick. That performance in 1963 revived his career and set him on the path to becoming one of football's greatest managers. "I would say this to young people—don't miss the biggest opportunity in your life," he said. "It's recognising it."

As a manager, Ferguson made decisions that not everyone understood. In the summer of 1995, he sold midfielder Paul Ince to Inter Milan for £7.5 million. United fans sent him angry letters. "Don't sell Incey to Inter—or you'll regret it," one read. "Every Red is disgusted with you," said another. Ferguson had weighed the decision carefully. Ince was a tremendous footballer with incredible ability, but Ferguson sensed he had become carried away. Looking at Paul Scholes, Ferguson made the call. "That's what your job is as a manager," he said. "You have to make hard decisions, and some decisions don't suit everyone." Years later, Ferguson would regret calling Ince a "big-time Charlie," and the two men reconciled. "He's a good friend of mine," Ferguson said. "He used to come over and play snooker with me."

That same summer, Ferguson also moved on forward Mark Hughes to Chelsea. In their place came youth. Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, and David Beckham—all in their early twenties—began to emerge. After Aston Villa beat United 3-1 in August 1995, Liverpool legend Alan Hansen said on television: "You can't win anything with kids." By the end of the season, Ferguson's young side had won the Premier League and FA Cup double. Ferguson had loaned Beckham to Preston in March 1995, and the young winger thought he was being pushed out. "David was the last to really develop because of his physique," Ferguson explained. "Although he grew to 6ft, he was small and thin as a young kid." But Ferguson had belief in young people. "If you give them an opportunity, there are two things that happen—they become real stars and they can remain loyal to you as a manager." That philosophy, tested and proven at St Mirren and Aberdeen before he arrived at United, had built the foundation of a dynasty that would dominate English football for the next two decades.