Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, former coaches of Manchester United and Arsenal respectively, have been inducted into the Premier League Hall Of Fame.
Both managers left a tremendous legacy with their respective clubs, Manchester United and Arsenal. They won a total of 16 Premier League titles while being one of the greatest EPL rivals.
Sir Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson won a record 13 EPL titles, two of which he won for three straight seasons, and remains the most successful Premier League Manager.
His Manchester United team won the inaugural Premier League title in 1992/93 to give the Red Devils the first league triumph since 1967 – this ushered a massive success over 27 years at Old Trafford.
The United team was completely rebuilt several times under his leadership. He also helped in developing indigenous talent, especially the “Class of ’92.”
Under Ferguson, there were players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Eric Cantona, Roy Keane, Wayne Rooney, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes, and so many more talents.
Sir Alex currently holds the all-time Premier League record with 528 victories from 810 games and 1,752 total points.
He also won Premier League Manager of the Month 27 times and was awarded manager of the season 11 times.
Sir Alex Ferguson, after receiving the honor, 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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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!”
Arsene Wenger
Wenger won the Premier League 3 times, however, he was the only manager to win the league unbeaten – this he achieved with Arsenal in 2003/04 and the team was nicknamed “The Invincibles” after such massive feat.
Wenger made an immediate impact after joining the Premier League as one of the first foreign managers back in 1996.
He won the title with Arsenal in 1997/1998 as his first full season after applying his innovative football philosophy and dedication to playing exciting, attacking football. He upped standards.
Wenger led an intelligent transfer plan that resulted in the signing of fellow Hall of Fame members Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira.
This strategy included scouting for potential talents abroad and this worked for the Frenchman severally over the period of time he was with Arsenal.
Arsene Wenger has managed 828 Premier League games with Arsenal, winning 476 and drawing 199.
He also was awarded Premier League manager of the Month three times, in 1998, 2002, and 2004 respectively.
Arsena Wenger said excitedly after receiving the award: “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.”
“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.”
“To share this with Sir Alex is a great honour 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.”
Premier League Hall Of Fame
The Premier League Hall of Fame recognizes the best association football players and coaches who have previously played and managed in the Premier League, this is the highest tier of the English football league system.
The EPL Hall of Fame was inaugurated in 2020. It was however delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Hall of Fame is intended to recognize and honor players and managers that have achieved great success and made a significant contribution to the English Premier League since its inception in 1992.
