In his new book, "My Life in Football", Ferguson reveals behind-the-scenes details of his emotional retirement announcement, while recounting past events involving Guardiola, Roy Keane and others.

In May 2013, Sir Alex Ferguson shed tears as he announced to the Manchester United players that he would step down as manager. News of Ferguson's impending departure leaked on Tuesday evening, but it wasn't until Wednesday morning that he gathered the entire United squad and coaching staff at Carrington to make the announcement.

Ferguson writes in "My Life in Football": "The moment I went back to my office and closed the door, all the emotion just came flooding out; I sat at my desk and wept. After drying my eyes, I thought the best thing was to get away quickly before the news went public. The last thing I wanted was to have to deal with the media."

Before his final match—a 5-5 draw away at West Bromwich Albion—the United players presented Ferguson with a commemorative book chronicling his managerial career and a Rolex watch engraved with the words "Thank you for everything you have done".

Ferguson had previously written two autobiographies, two season diaries from the 1990s, a book about his first six years at United, and a work on leadership. Now at 84, he has released his seventh book. In this latest memoir, he selected 21 matches that hold the most meaning for him, dating back to his student days in Glasgow.

Ferguson also reflects on what might have happened if his dinner in New York with Guardiola, who would later become Manchester City's manager, had taken place two months earlier in September 2012. At that time, Guardiola was taking a sabbatical after stepping down as Barcelona manager. Ferguson says the Catalan tactician had agreed to take over Bayern Munich in the summer of 2013.

Sir Alex writes: "If I could turn back time and we'd had dinner a couple of months earlier, I would have opened many bottles of Tignanello red wine and tried my very best to convince him that his future lay at Manchester. Unfortunately for us, his future really did lie in Manchester. That much was enough."

In his earlier work, "Leading", Ferguson stated that Guardiola had not yet "signed" with Bayern at that point, writing: "I asked Pep to call me before accepting offers from other clubs, but he didn't, and he eventually joined Bayern Munich in July 2013."

In October 2012, the death of Ferguson's sister-in-law, Bridget, solidified his decision to retire at the end of that season. Around Christmas, he informed his late wife, Lady Cathy, of this decision. The book is dedicated to Lady Cathy, who passed away in October 2023.

In the 336-page book, Ferguson mentions Manchester United's owners, the Glazer family, only once, and makes no reference to co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who ended Ferguson's club ambassador role worth 2 million pounds annually.

However, Sir Alex does reflect on United's current structure: with a Chief Executive and Director of Football positioned above the manager.

He writes: "I think the owners like the idea of a 'manager' because, from their perspective, a manager is just part of a bigger machine. If the manager leaves, the machine can still function normally—at least in theory."

"Although at the biggest clubs, power has shifted from the technical side to the director of sport or director of football, in the eyes of the media and supporters, the manager still has to take responsibility when things go wrong."

Ferguson emphasizes strongly: "Sustained and solid financial strength is closely linked to success on the pitch."

Notably, United's current debt stands at 1.15 billion pounds.

The Scottish tactician also extended an olive branch to Roy Keane, who captained United for over 8 years.

Since the former midfielder was sacked unceremoniously from United in November 2005, Ferguson and Keane's relationship was never properly repaired. After Keane ended his spell managing Sunderland in 2008, the two barely spoke.

United's 3-2 away comeback victory against Juventus in the 1999 Champions League semi-final is one of Ferguson's classic matches, with the standout memory being Keane's outstanding performance. Ferguson examines his display closely in the book.

Ferguson says: "I know Roy doesn't seek attention and always brushes off praise. He poured his heart and soul into that match. It was one of his greatest nights in a United shirt."

"As long as United's legends are told, Roy's performance amid the explosions and drums at the Stadio delle Alpi will forever stay with me and deserves to be passed down through generations."

"Fergie Time" is mentioned 9 times in the book: "'The fourth official indicated there would be a minimum of... added time' is one of my favourite phrases in English."

He recalls Michael Owen's late goal in the 96th minute against Manchester City in September 2009, joking that "that magnificent fourth official should at least have been awarded an MBE". The fourth official at that time was Alan Wiley.

However, less than a month later, following a 2-2 home draw with Sunderland, Ferguson complained that Wiley was "not fit enough to be a referee". Ferguson was subsequently banned from the touchline for two matches.

In the book, Sir Alex also inadvertently contrasts his management style with that of Nottingham Forest legend Brian Clough.

On one occasion, when Clough came to Old Trafford to watch a match, he asked Manchester United trainee Danniol Graham to polish his shoes.

Ferguson recalls that he "was furious, handed the shoes back to Clough, and instructed Danniol and our kit staff not to touch them, warning him never to pull such a stunt again."

Several other anecdotes are recorded in this book. According to reports, Alex Ferguson's new book, "My Life in Football", will be released on Thursday, October 8, local time.

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