The Tale Of Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson: From Foes to Friends

Over the years, there have been some massive rivalries in the Premier League between competing managers.

In the last decade, the biggest rivalry in the English top-flight was Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola vs Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp.

@tntsportsfootball “He’s been my biggest rival for all my career, and it’s an honour” 🤝 As part of his Moments That Made Me, Pep Guardiola shares the importance of his tactical duals with Jürgen Klopp ⚔️ #Football #footballtiktok #mancity ♬ original sound – TNT Sports Football

The pair fought it out for the English title tooth and nail.

An era-defining Premier League managerial rivalry

Long before Guardiola and Klopp clashed, two of the other legendary bosses of the Premier League era, Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson, were rivals for 17 years as Arsenal and Manchester United bosses, respectively.

Both bosses were fiercely competitive and would do anything to give their team that extra edge. That often led to confrontations both at games and in the press.

For much of both bosses’ reigns, the teams were competing for the big trophies. However, the peak of their rivalry came from Wenger’s appointment as Gunners boss from 1996 until 2004.

This was when the two teams were considered the dominant forces of the English game. In fact, during that period, only United and Arsenal won the Premier League, with the Red Devils claiming the title on five occasions, compared to the Gunners’ three.

That run of titles included the 2003/04 season, when Arsenal completed the title unbeaten, a record only ever achieved once before in the history of the English top-flight. However, it was United who ended the Gunners’ 49-game unbeaten run at Old Trafford in October 2004.

The 2-0 victory for United caused quite a stir, as after the game, pizza was thrown at United’s Sir Alex Ferguson. The incident was originally dubbed ‘The Battle of the Buffet’, but was later renamed ‘Pizzagate’.

When it comes to the head-to-head record between the pair, Sir Alex came out slightly on top of his French counterpart, claiming 26 wins from 49 meetings between the pair compared with 16 victories for Wenger.

The rivalry often turned nasty between the Arsenal and Manchester United players during the peak of the rivalry between the pair.

An incident in September 2003 at Old Trafford, dubbed ‘The Battle of Old Trafford was one such occasion, which saw Arsenal players instigate a mass brawl on the pitch.

From 1997 until 2005, there were also seven red cards in games between the pair, illustrating that the rivalry was certainly not confined to the two teams’ dugouts.

The games were always going to be tense and passionate, as the rivalry was between two of the Premier League’s greatest managers, managing some of the best players of the current era of the game.

A change in the relationship in 2005

The dynamic Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson relationship changed in 2005. This was more to do with outside influences than the pair themselves.

The arrival at Chelsea of a certain young managerial upstart, Jose Mourinho, played a big part in the change of dynamics. The Portuguese boss guided his team to back-to-back Premier League titles, ending Arsenal and United’s duopoly in the English top-flight.

In the pair’s latter stages of their managerial careers, Manchester City emerged as a potential threat at the top of the table. The pair were in the same boat, competing against clubs that were far more willing to spend big than their own.

As their teams became less dominant in the Premier League, the pair’s relationship seemed to soften. Rather than dislike, the pair seem to grow more respect for each other’s work. They took off their red-tinted glasses and realised that both had achieved mass feats in the English game.

A good friendship

Sir Alex Ferguson retired from management in 2013, while Wenger followed him into retirement five years later. In 2018, on Wenger’s last visit to Old Trafford as United boss, Ferguson celebrated his old adversary’s last dance by gifting him a commemorative trophy.

It seemed like a symbolic peace offering from the Scot to the Frenchman. However, reports suggest the pair had long since put their difference aside.

Having shared Premier League touchlines for so long as rivals, they are now reportedly more accustomed to sharing regular dinners, as they come together in their shared appreciation for good food and wine.

If anybody had asked either of the pair at the height of their rivalry if this would have been possible, both probably would have dismissed the notion.

After the heat of the battle has passed, they are now enjoying their retirement. They look back and recognise that they both deserved massive credit for taking the Premier League to a new level.

Without the two managerial greats and the teams they produced, the Premier League may not have grown to its current level of popularity.

For that reason, the pair deserve gratitude for their brilliance, and hopefully, their off-field friendship continues for a long time to come.