Sir Alex Ferguson: Greatest-ever club manager winning 38 trophies with Man Utd

Sir Alex Ferguson is widely considered as the greatest football manager of all-time, feted for his achievements in both domestic and European competition over an astonishing career spanning almost four decades.

The Scot will forever be celebrated for the dynasty of success he created at Manchester United over the course of 27 trophy-laden years that are unlikely ever to be replicated by anyone again.

He moulded a succession of incredible teams, often based on a backbone of players from the Old Trafford academy, who produced thrilling performances and achieved extensive success.

Ferguson won an astonishing 38 trophies at Old Trafford as Manchester United manager

The Scot guided United to two memorable Champions League triumphs in 1999 and 2008

Ferguson brought in many world class players to United, including the likes of Wayne Rooney

FERGUSON'S 49

Sir Alex's 49 trophies is the most successful managerial career Britain has ever known.

ST MIRREN

Scottish First Division (1): 1976-77.

ABERDEEN

Scottish Premier Division (3): 1979-80, 1983-84, 1984-85.

Scottish Cup (4): 1981-82, 1982-83, 1983-84, 1985-86.

Scottish League Cup (1): 1985-86.

European Cup-Winners' Cup (1): 1982-83.

European Super Cup (1): 1983.

MANCHESTER UNITED

Premier League (13): 1992-93, 1993-94, 1995-96, 1996-97, 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2000-01, 2002-03, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2010-11, 2012-13.

FA Cup (5): 1989-90, 1993-94, 1995-96, 1998-99, 2003-04.

League Cup (4): 1991-92, 2005-06, 2008-09, 2009-10.

Charity/Community Shield (10): 1990 (shared), 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011.

Champions League (2): 1998-99, 2007-08.

European Cup-Winners' Cup (1): 1990-91.

European Super Cup (1): 1991.

Intercontinental Cup (1): 1999.

FIFA Club World Cup (1): 2008.

The 38 major trophies Ferguson won in his time at United include two European Cups, 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups, four League Cups, the European Cup Winners' Cup, the European Super Cup, the Intercontinental Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.

Prior to that, Ferguson elevated unglamorous Aberdeen to challenge the established order of the Old Firm teams from his home city of Glasgow during the 1980s.

There were three Scottish Premier Division titles, four Scottish Cups, a Scottish League Cup and, most memorably, their triumph over Real Madrid in the 1983 European Cup Winners' Cup final.

It was during his playing career in 1966 that Ferguson married Cathy Holding and they have three sons - Mark, Darren and Jason. Darren, a former Manchester United player is the current manager of League One club Doncaster Rovers.

But management was always his forte and his successes at Aberdeen certainly captured the imagination of sleeping giant United, who appointed him as Ron Atkinson's replacement in November 1986.

The first few years were difficult and Ferguson came under intense pressure on more than one occasion. But their win over Crystal Palace in the 1990 FA Cup final was the trigger for a golden age.

Never wavering from a philosophy of attractive and attacking football, Ferguson's side played unashamedly on the front foot and were most thrilling when trailing in matches, often launching comebacks to win against all the odds.

There most famous example of the never-say-die spirit Ferguson imbued into United's DNA came in the 1999 Champions League final in Barcelona when, trailing Bayern Munich 1-0 entering stoppage time, goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the space of three unbelievable minutes delivered an historic Treble that also included the Premier League and FA Cup.

It was Ferguson's exhaustive work rate, his attention to detail, calculated use of discipline and skilful use of psychological warfare to extract the best from his players that raised him above his peers.

His teams were invariably the best-organised and best-drilled, performing with maximum intensity until the referee's final whistle, an event typically delayed by Ferguson's watch-tapping methods of persuasion from the sidelines.

His twin crowning achievements at Old Trafford were the Champions League wins in 1999 and 2008, adding to the club's sole previous triumph on the European stage achieved by fellow Glaswegian Sir Matt Busby, who was both mentor and inspiration during Ferguson's first years at the club.

Embracing the dawn of the modern era in English football with the formation of the Premier League in 1992, United would claim four of the first five championships.

Three more in succession between 1999 and 2001 further underlined United's dominance of the English scene, having seen off the challenge of first Blackburn Rovers, then Newcastle United and Arsenal.

Chelsea were the next to threaten United's hegemony but United raised their game once again as Ferguson, who initially was set to retire in 2002, built another outstanding side.

They regained the title in 2007, and in 2008 paired it with a dramatic Champions League triumph when they beat Chelsea on penalties in the pouring rain of Moscow.

Further Premier League wins arrived in 2009 and 2011 before Ferguson announced he was to retire in 2013. A 13th Premier League success was a fitting farewell.

But for all their domestic joy, he wasn't able to crack Europe again. Defeats to an all-conquering Barcelona in the finals of 2009 and 2011 proved there was some things that were destined to go unachieved.

A winner as manager, Ferguson endlessly sought players who would buy into his values and run through brick walls for him.

Some of his transfer swoops were audacious but inspired. The signing of the flawed genius Eric Cantona from Leeds United supplied the X-factor for United's first few title wins.

Roy Keane, Steve Bruce and Peter Schmeichel were his lieutenants on the field for many years, succeeded by the likes of Jaap Stam, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.

Ferguson was always immensely proud of academy graduates such as Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, David Beckham and Nicky Butt, who emerged through the ranks at the pretty much the same time.

That golden crop would offer the bones of brilliant United sides for the best part of 20 years, especially in the case of the evergreen Giggs and Scholes.

Such was the importance of goals that United never lacked for top-class strikers. The lineage of Cantona included Andrew Cole, Dwight Yorke, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Robin van Persie.

But the groundwork of Ferguson's success at United was laid at Aberdeen. Following an induction into management at East Stirlingshire and St Mirren in the 1970s, he arrived at Pittodrie in June 1978.

Though one of Scotland's most prominent and well-supported teams, success had long eluded Aberdeen, who sat very much in the shadow of Celtic and Rangers.

Ferguson, a former Rangers player, set about changing all that. A strict disciplinarian even as a younger man, he honed the infamous half-time 'hairdryer' treatment and created a siege mentality by accusing the media of an Old Firm bias.

They won their first title in 25 years in 1980, following it up with two more, as well as five cup triumphs.

But the victory that really launched him came when Aberdeen upset the odds and beat Real Madrid 2-1 in the 1983 European Cup Winners' Cup final in Gothenburg.

A centre-forward as a player, the man from working class Govan turned out for Queen's Park, St Johnstone, Dunfermline Athletic, Rangers, Falkirk and Ayr United. There were plenty of goals but only modest success.

Ferguson, who was knighted following United's Treble win in 1999, retired to thunderous acclaim in 2013.

He aimed to devote more time to his off-field interests, which included horse racing, fine wine and American history.

He continued to attend many United games, watching from the comfort of the director's box as David Moyes and then Louis van Gaal tried, and failed, to live up to his achievements.

A bronze statue of Ferguson stands outside Old Trafford and the North Stand was renamed in his honour following his retirement.

Along the front of it, a banner reads: 'The Impossible Dream... Made Possible.' And how.

Ferguson enjoyed a modest playing career but management was certainly his forte

A statue of him stands outside Old Trafford and the North Stand was renamed in his honour