Sir Alex Ferguson is a retired football player and manager, most famous for his 27-year stint at Manchester United. The club is amongst the most successful in English top flight history, although that was not the case when Ferguson first arrived.
The Scot famously declared early in his stint at United that he would like to "knock Liverpool off their f*cking perch". At the start of the Premier League era, it was the Merseyside club that was England's most successful team with 18 top flight titles.
Manchester United won 13 under Sir Alex Ferguson's guidance, taking their total to 20.
The manager led Manchester United to the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League treble in 1998/99. Later, he led them to the 2007/08 Premier League and UEFA Champions League titles.
Ferguson rose to prominence in Scotland through spells in charge of East Stirlingshire, St Mirren, and, most notably, Aberdeen.
While in charge of the Dons, he won the Scottish Premier Division title in 1979/80, 1983/84, and 1984/85. After a brief spell presiding over the Scottish national team, Ferguson was appointed Manchester United manager on 6 November 1986, replacing Ron Atkinson.
Manchester United's new manager Alex Ferguson (L) at a press conference at Old Trafford, with chairman Martin Edwards.
United had not won the top flight title since 1966/67 and Ferguson was reportedly concerned by the quantities of alcohol being consumed by key players such as Norman Whiteside, Paul McGrath and Bryan Robson; and also by their lack of fitness.
However, Ferguson managed to instil discipline into his troops and they climbed from 21st in the league (second from bottom) to 11th place at the end of the 1986/87 season.
The 1989/90 FA Cup arguably saved Ferguson's United career as his side stunned Nottingham Forest 1-0 in the third round en route to beating Crystal Palace in a final replay. Ferguson thus secured his first major trophy while in charge of the Red Devils.
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson with the European Cup Winners Cup trophy
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson celebrates with his players, after they defeated Bayern Munich in the Champions League final in Barcelona, Wednesday 26 May 1999. Manchester won 2-1.
The 1998/99 season was an historic one for Manchester United. Not only did they regain their Premier League and FA Cup titles, but they also won the UEFA Champions League - becoming the first English team to win all three of these trophies in the same season. Previously, they had not won the European Cup since their first and only prior triumph in 1968.
The 1999/2000 season saw United once again win the Premier League time - this time by a then-record margin of 18 points. Then, in 2000/01, they became the fourth side in history to retain the league title for a third season.
United won the title back in 2002/03 after signing centre-back Rio Ferdinand for a then-British record transfer fee of £29.3million from Leeds United. However, they did not win it again until 2006/07.
After Arsenal's invincibles stormed to the 2003/04 title and Chelsea won two in a row in the following two campaigns, a young Cristiano Ronaldo inspired the Red Devils' resurgence in 2006/07 and they won the Premier League once again.
Manchester United's Alex Ferguson and Cristiano Ronaldo receive their manager and player of the month trophies
In 2009/10, United were edged to the Premier League title by Chelsea. They won it back in 2010/11 only to lose it the following season to Manchester City in a nail-biting race.
After signing Robin van Persie from Arsenal ahead of the 2012/13 campaign, United won their 13th Premier League title under Ferguson's guidance. The Scotsman retired at the end of the season and was replaced by David Moyes, with United struggling in the ensuing decade.
Ferguson is the father of Darren Ferguson, who is a football manager and former player himself. He has other sons, Mark and Jason.
Jason Ferguson found his dealings as an agent among the subjects of a BBC documentary Fergie and Son which led to the BBC being at loggerheads with Sir Alex Ferguson.
The BBC were banned from interviewing him between 2004 and 2011 as a result of their allegations that Manchester United had an improper business relationship with Jason Ferguson.
As per Goal, Ferguson was reported to have a basic salary of £4million while at Manchester United in January 2012. At the time, he reportedly had the chance to upgrade to £6.5million-a-year basic salary plus a £1million bonus.
This money may not have been insignificant, but Forbes estimated that he created £280million in value for the club. Ferguson was a worthwhile investment if judging by these figures alone.
The new Premier League season is almost upon us, which leads us to wonder if there will be any surprising results on the opening weekend to match the upsets and goalfests of previous curtain-raisers.
Eintracht Frankfurt have bestowed lifetime membership upon former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson in recognition of his ties to the Bundesliga club.
Sir Alex Ferguson has described Sir Bobby Charlton as a "tower of strength" for him in a heartfelt tribute to the Manchester United great.
Lady Cathy Ferguson, the wife of former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, has died at the age of 84, the family has confirmed.
With Roy Hodson staying on for at least one more season, we take a look at the oldest managers in Premier League history.
Sir Alex Ferguson always had a way with words. To mark a decade since his last game as manager, we take a look at his top 20 lines.
A decade on from the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United are far from the dominant force they used to be.