曼聯主教練弗格森宣佈退休 26年傳奇生涯終結

Alex Ferguson is retiring at the end of the season, bringing a close to a trophy-filled career of more than 26 years at Manchester United that established him as the most successful coach in British football history.

"The decision to retire is one that I have thought a great deal about and one that I have not taken lightly," the 71-year-old Scotsman said in a statement on Wednesday. "It is the right time."

The club, which is owned by the American Glazer family and listed on the New York Stock Exchange, did not immediately announce a successor.

Since taking charge at Old Trafford in 1986, Ferguson has won a total of 38 trophies, including 13 Premier League championships, two Champions League titles and five FA Cups.

"It was important to me to leave an organization in the strongest possible shape and I believe I have done so," Ferguson said. "The quality of this league winning squad, and the balance of ages within it, bodes well for continued success at the highest level whilst the structure of the youth setup will ensure that the long-term future of the club remains a bright one."

Ferguson will continue to loom large at United as he will remain as a club director and ambassador.

"His contributions to Manchester United over the last 26 years have been extraordinary and, like all United fans, I want him to be a part of its future," joint chairman Avie Glazer said.

Former United striker Michael Owen said Ferguson's record "will surely never be eclipsed."
Ferguson has defined the modern era of success at United, resuscitating the fortunes of a club that was floundering when he arrived more than a quarter of a century ago, having won a European title at modest Aberdeen in Scotland.

"In my early years, the backing of the board, and Sir Bobby Charlton in particular, gave me the confidence and time to build a football club, rather than just a football team," Ferguson said. "Over the past decade, the Glazer family have provided me with the platform to manage Manchester United to the best of my ability."

"We're open to any channel for the return of cultural relics," Song said.

Before United was listed on the NYSE last year, the club warned that "any successor to our current manager may not be as successful as our current manager."

"A downturn in the performance of our first team could adversely affect our ability to attract and retain coaches and players," United said in July.

【新聞快訊】

北京時間5月8日傍晚，曼聯通過俱樂部官方網站正式對外宣佈，主教練弗格森將在本賽季結束後退休。自此，弗格森在曼聯26年的執教生涯，他在英格蘭締造的弗格森王朝宣告終結。

在談到自己的退役決定時，弗格森表示絕非草率的決定，而是在最正確時機做出的決定。

此前，英國媒體已經曝出弗格森將要退役的傳聞，但在北京時間今天下午5點，曼聯在卡靈頓基地召開了新聞發佈會，對弗格森可能宣佈退休一事做出了迴應。在發佈會上，曼聯確認主帥弗格森將退休。

對於72歲的爵爺來說，最大的遺憾就是今年沒帶曼聯成功進入決賽，這個決定因此讓人十分震驚。但弗格森自己很淡定，在談到自己的退役決定時，弗格森說：“退休這一決定我已經考慮了很長時間了，並非草率做出的決定，我認爲這是正確的時機。”

對此，弗格森也沒有遺憾，老爺子說道，“對於我來說，我需要在球隊最強的時候離開，我認爲現在正合適，這可以保證球隊在未來一段時間內有一個光明的未來。”

在曼聯的帥位上執教27個年頭弗格森共率領球隊拿下了13個英超冠軍，2個歐冠冠軍，5個足總盃冠軍、4個聯賽盃冠軍、1個世俱杯冠軍、1個歐洲優勝者杯冠軍，一個歐洲超級盃和10個社區盾冠軍。作爲英國足球史上最成功的主教練和曼聯王朝的締造者，弗格森是足壇史上最優秀的主教練之一。