Eintracht Frankfurt has bestowed legendary former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson with a lifetime membership. This gesture occurred during Frankfurt’s visit to Ferguson after their 2023/24 UEFA Europa Conference League encounter with Aberdeen in December. Along with the lifetime membership, the Eagles presented Ferguson with a personalized Eintracht shirt bearing his name and the No.10.
Ferguson, now 82, faced Frankfurt as a player, notably scoring a hat-trick for Rangers in a pre-season friendly in 1967. Later, as a manager, his Aberdeen team suffered a 2-1 defeat to Eintracht in the 1979/80 UEFA Cup before he achieved remarkable success with Manchester United, securing 38 major trophies.
Reflecting on his connection with Eintracht Frankfurt in an interview with the club’s official website, Ferguson reminisced about the club’s most successful period coinciding with his time at Aberdeen in the 70s and 80s, particularly their UEFA Cup triumph in 1980. He also expressed admiration for Eintracht’s recent achievements, such as their victory over Barcelona and their remarkable performance in the 2021/22 UEFA Europa League final against Rangers.
💬🥰We said to ourselves: “Wow! A great German team!”
Sir Alex Ferguson on seeing Eintracht play for the first time in 1960 as a Rangers fan, his hat-trick against SGE seven years later and the “unbelievable” Jürgen Grabowski ⤵️#SGE pic.twitter.com/6lrqNiZEul
Advertisement— Eintracht Frankfurt (@eintracht_eng) March 19, 2024
Furthermore, Ferguson recalled Manchester United’s historic comeback victory against Bayern Munich in the 1998/99 UEFA Champions League final, emphasizing his fondness for underdog victories. With Bayern trailing to an early goal from Mario Basler, the Red Devils staged a remarkable comeback with two injury-time goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær, securing their first European Cup title since 1968.
Looking ahead to the current football landscape, Frankfurt under Dino Toppmöller’s leadership are on course for a return to the Europa League, aiming to replicate their success from the 2021/22 season. Meanwhile, Bayer Leverkusen, led by Xabi Alonso, are leading the Bundesliga, positioning themselves as strong contenders to dethrone Bayern Munich as league champions.
