Sir Alex Ferguson's wife and touching real reason behind his Man Utd retirement

06 October 2023 , 15:00

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Lady Cathy Ferguson, the wife of Manchester United legend Sir Alex, has sadly passed away (Image: PA)

Sir Alex Ferguson quit as Manchester United boss to support his wife, Lady Cathy, following the death of her twin sister.

Lady Cathy had a major influence on his career and remained his closest confidante until her passing away, at the age of 84, was confirmed.

“We are deeply saddened to confirm the passing yesterday of Lady Cathy Ferguson, survived by her husband, three sons, two sisters, 12 grandchildren and one great-grandchild,” the statement read. “The family asks for privacy at this time.”

The legendary football manager and his wife had been married for 57 years, having met in Glasgow in 1964, marrying two years later. Twenty-seven of those were spent with Fergie in situ at Old Trafford - and it is widely known that she persuaded Ferguson to reconsider his decision to quit United in 2002, when he had initially proposed retirement.

However, the passing of Cathy's sister, Bridget Robertson, back in October 2012 sparked the chain of events that saw Ferguson walk away from Old Trafford at the end of the 2012/13 campaign.

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Speaking (in 2015) about his decision to walk away back in 2013, Ferguson outlined how when he brought up the idea of walking away for a second time, there was no resistance from his wife.

He said: “I saw she [Lady Cathy Ferguson] was watching television one night, and she looked up at the ceiling. I knew she was isolated. Her and Bridget were twins, you know?

“But when I told her this time I was going to retire she had no objection whatsoever. I knew she wanted me to do it.

“For 47 years she’s been the leader of the family, looked after our three sons and sacrificed for me, now she’s got lots of grandchildren, they all dote on her and I think she’s lost her best friend, so I think I owe her time.”

Sir Alex and Lady Cathy had been married for 57 years (RICCARDO ANTIMIANI/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Ferguson and Lady Cathy had three sons together: Mark and twins Jason and Darren, the latter of whom is the current manager of League One outfit Peterborough United.

Since walking away from the dugout back in 2013, Ferguson has been a frequent visitor at Old Trafford. He was seen having dinner with Erik ten Hag, United's current manager, earlier this year and had a close relationship with the Dutchman's predecessor, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Dan Marsh