Sir Alex Ferguson Reveals Pep Guardiola Succession Regret at Manchester United
Sir Alex Ferguson has reflected on a 2012 dinner with Pep Guardiola in New York, admitting he still wonders whether Manchester United could have persuaded the Spaniard to succeed him had their meeting taken place earlier.
A meeting that came before Ferguson’s retirement decision
Ferguson revisits the encounter in his book Games of My Life, written against the backdrop of the final months of his 27-year reign at Old Trafford. Guardiola had already built an exceptional record at Barcelona, including the 2009 continental sextuple, but was preparing for a move to Bayern Munich.
The former United manager said his own future was still undecided when he met Guardiola in New York. His decision to retire was only confirmed after the death of his sister-in-law in December 2012.
Ferguson wrote that he has repeatedly considered how events may have unfolded had the dinner been arranged a few months sooner. By then, Guardiola had won extensively in Spain, including a Champions League and league double as well as a continental treble, and felt ready to experience the Bundesliga with Bayern.
Had the timing been different, Ferguson said he would have made a determined attempt to bring Guardiola to Manchester, joking that he would have served more Tignanello wine in an effort to change the Catalan’s mind. Instead, Guardiola’s next destination was Germany.
How United and Guardiola’s paths diverged
David Moyes took over from Ferguson in July 2013 but was dismissed after 10 months in charge. Guardiola, meanwhile, won seven major honours during his Bayern spell before beginning a dominant period with Manchester City.
- Ferguson won 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League trophies as United manager.
- Guardiola’s Barcelona team completed the continental sextuple in 2009.
- He collected seven major trophies at Bayern Munich.
- During a decade at Manchester City, Guardiola delivered six top-flight titles and the Champions League.
United have spent the 13 years since Ferguson’s departure attempting to recover the consistency and authority of his era. Guardiola instead became the defining manager of the modern City period before leaving at the end of last season.
Ferguson’s admiration for Guardiola’s development
Ferguson described Guardiola as a benchmark for modern players and aspiring coaches, pointing to both his Barcelona upbringing and his distinguished playing career as a creative midfielder in the 1990s.
He noted that Guardiola had learned under major managerial figures including Johan Cruyff, Bobby Robson and Louis van Gaal before taking the Barcelona job at the age of 37. In Ferguson’s view, that grounding helped prepare him for the demands of elite management.
The Scot also warned that prominent former players can move too quickly into leading jobs. He argued that the pressure is especially intense in the Premier League, where supporters often assume success as a footballer will translate directly into results from the technical area.
Guardiola remains, Ferguson said, the standout example of a relatively young coach taking charge of a major club and succeeding at the highest level. His City legacy endures despite the club’s continuing appeal against financial charges, which City firmly deny.
