Alex Ferguson Lost His Voice After Brain Surgery

Ferguson had retired five years before the haemorrhage, having won 38 trophies, including 13 Premier League titles, during 26 years in charge at Old Trafford. According to the Daily Mail, doctors gave him only a 20 per cent chance of survival, and he has previously said that of five patients admitted with brain haemorrhages on the same day, just two survived. In September 2018, four months after the operation, he returned to Old Trafford to watch United play Wolverhampton Wanderers. He admitted he had been "terrified" and unsure how supporters would receive him. Instead, he and his wife, Cathy, were given a standing ovation; she was close to tears and told him it was "fantastic". The Daily Mail notes that Lady Cathy died in 2023.

Now three months short of his 85th birthday, Ferguson says he feels "quite good" despite minor injuries and remains a regular presence at United matches. His book revisits 21 defining games, from a schoolboy cup final in Glasgow in 1955 to his retirement in 2013. He also recalls nearly abandoning football for a new life in Canada while stuck in the reserves at St Johnstone, only to score a hat-trick against Rangers in 1963 after illness swept through the squad. Reflecting on that turning point, he urged young people not to miss the biggest opportunity of their lives, stressing that the key is recognising it when it arrives.