Legendary managers Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger have been inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame for their incredible and remarkable legacies during their managerial careers with Manchester United and Arsenal respectively which saw them establish one of the most famed rivalries in the League’s history.
The Hall of Fame is the highest individual honor awarded by the League and recognizes individuals who have an exceptional record of success and made significant contributions to the Premier League.
Sir Alex Ferguson is the most successful manager in the Premier League history with a record 13 league titles, including winning the title three seasons in a row on two different occasions in his 27-years managerial position at Manchester United which saw him manage the club in 21 Premier League seasons. Six players who were managed by Sir Alex have already been inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame: David Beckham, Eric Cantona, Roy Keane, Wayne Rooney, Peter Schmeichel and Paul Scholes.
The Scottish legendary manager won 528 times from 810 matches he managed and was named the Manager of the season 11 times as well as winning the manager of the month award on 27 different occasions. In his remarks while being honored, he said:
“I’m truly delighted to be inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame. It’s an honor when you receive recognition like this. However, it’s not just about me as a person. It’s about the job at Manchester United and the bond we had over many years, so I’m also proud for the club, the staff and my players.â€
“My job was to send the fans home happy. United’s history and my own expectations were the things that drove me and I then had to try and develop all my players with the same expectations and make sure we could go out and achieve them.â€
“I feel Arsene is a very worthy inductee, as he transformed Arsenal Football Club fantastically. They became a tough team to compete with and we both wanted to win, which motivated us further.â€
“Through the years since retirement, we’d go for dinner together in a little restaurant he knows well in Switzerland. He is a really interesting man and I enjoy his company, but it is still my job to pick the wine!â€
Arsenal Legendary former manager Arsene Wenger joins Sir Alex Ferguson as the first managers to be inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame. The Frenchman won the League title 3 times in his record 22 seasons at the North London club including the historic “2003/04 Invincibles’’ which saw his team become the only team to win the Premier League title undefeated throughout the entire campaign. He managed a record 828 Premier League matches, including 476 wins while also winning the manager of the season award in 1998, 2002 and 2004.
Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira are the two players who were coached by Arsene Wenger to have already been inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame.
During the recognition, Wenger said: “I am very grateful to have been selected for the Premier League Hall of Fame. We always wanted to give something special to the fans and when you have players capable of remarkable things, the most important thing for me is the obligation of perfection.â€
“I’d like to be known as someone who loved Arsenal, who respected the values of the club and left it in a position where it can grow and become even bigger.â€
“To share this with Sir Alex is a great honor for me. It’s like two boxers, you fight like mad and go the distance together. At the end of the day, you have respect and it will be a great opportunity to meet with him, share a good bottle of wine and memories of our old battles.â€