Manchester United have Lady Cathy Ferguson to thank for 11 bonus years which brought six additional Premier League titles and a second Champions League success.
The wife of former Old Trafford boss Sir Alex, who has died at the age of 84, was the one person who could – and did – persuade the Scot he was not ready for retirement in 2002.
Writing in his autobiography, Ferguson said she had told him: “One, your health is good. Two, I’m not having you in the house. And three, you’re too young anyway.”
That influence was pivotal as the success he achieved in those subsequent extra years accounted for 44 per cent of all his major trophies (25) won during almost 27 years.
There was also the suggestion the reason he turned up at United and not Tottenham was because Cathy was not interested in moving to London.
When he finally did retire in 2013, Ferguson – whose final decision was partly influenced by the death of Cathy’s sister Bridget Robertson – said: “My wife Cathy has been the key figure throughout my career, providing a bedrock of both stability and encouragement.
“When I told her this time I was going to retire she had no objection whatsoever. I knew she wanted me to do it.
“Words are not enough to express what this has meant to me.”
Cathy had just one word for Alex when she first met him while both working at the Remington Rand typewriter factory in Glasgow’s Hillington.
He had a plaster on his face from a football injury and Cathy thought he was a “thug” – Sir Alex suggested she thought he was either a gangster or boxer.
“I found out he was a footballer and that didn’t make him any different to me,” said Cathy, who got married at Glasgow Register Office in 1964.
“That was the start. I went to my work and he went to his football.”
During his time as a player Ferguson admits he let down his wife, a Catholic, when he joined Rangers.
“One of the directors asked me about Cathy, ‘I believe she is Catholic, were you married in a chapel?’. I said, ‘No we got married in the register office,’ and he says, ‘Oh, that’s OK’.
“I should have told him to f*** off but having supported Rangers as a boy and having the opportunity to go out and play for Rangers, you are prepared to take nonsense.
“I let myself down there and I let my wife down – that was the most important thing – because she was a devout Catholic.”
Cathy Ferguson is survived by her husband, three sons, Mark and twins Jason and Darren, 12 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Serie A side Genoa confirm sacking of head coach Gilardino
Serie A side Genoa have confirmed the departure of their head coach Alberto Gilardino, with Patrick Vieira reportedly on his way in.
Gilardino, a World Cup winner with Italy in 2006, leaves the club with them sitting just one point above the relegation size with 10 points from 12 matches this season.
A former striker who played for clubs including Genoa, Parma, AC Milan and Fiorentina, Gilardino took charge of Genoa in 2022 and helped them earn promotion to the top division before a 11th-place finish during the 2023-24 season.
"The club thanks Gilardino for the goals achieved together over the years and wishes him the best for his career," Genoa said in a statement.
The 42-year-old saw his side salvage a late 1-1 draw against Cesc Fabregas' Como in their last match before the international break.
Genoa were also knocked out of the Coppa Italia in the second round following a defeat to Sampdoria on penalties in September.
Arsenal legend Vieira is set to replace him, according to multiple reports.
The former France midfielder has been out of work since leaving Strasbourg by mutual consent in July.
Doncic backs Mbappe to turn fortunes around at Real Madrid
NBA superstar Luka Doncic has backed Kylian Mbappe to "figure it out" after his underwhelming start to life at Real Madrid.
Mbappe has scored eight goals in 16 games for Madrid in all competitions since joining as a free agent following the expiration of his Paris Saint-Germain contract.
He has gone four matches without a goal – a run that includes losses to Barcelona and Milan – and has been left out of France's latest squad.
However, Dallas Mavericks guard Doncic – a Real Madrid supporter due to his previous ties with the sports club – can see Mbappe turning things around.
"Obviously [their season] could be better," Doncic told Managing Madrid after the Mavericks' win over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday.
"But when you get a guy like Mbappe, it takes some time to get used to it. We'll figure it out."
Mbappe has scored six goals in 11 LaLiga appearances for Madrid but has underperformed his season's expected goals (xG) total by 2.04.
The forward is averaging a goal every 166 minutes in all competitions this term, compared to one every 88 minutes for PSG in his last of seven seasons in Paris.
Madrid thrashed Osasuna 4-0 last time out in the league to return to winning ways but still trail leaders Barcelona by six points.
Asked about his connections with Madrid, former Los Blancos basketball player Doncic said: "I follow Real Madrid every time.
"I grew up there. They taught me everything, so it's a part of my life. You can call it a secondary home.
"I learned a lot of stuff there and, especially, they gave me a way to be here right now [in Dallas]. I always appreciate that 100%."
Madrid return to action after the international break with a trip to Leganes on Sunday.
Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona: Guijarro brace sets visitors up for Clasico glory
Patri Guijarro's first-half brace set Barcelona on their way to a thumping 4-0 win over rivals Real Madrid in Liga F on Saturday.
Claudia Pina and Alexia Putellas were also on target as Barcelona continued their perfect start to the season, extending their lead at the top of the table.
The visitors dominated from the off, as Guijarro broke the deadlock inside the fourth minute, tapping in from Putellas' flick-on from a corner.
Cata Coll was forced into a big save to deny Alba Redondo an equaliser shortly after, but Madrid's hope was soon dented as Guijarro picked out the bottom corner with a superb long-range strike for her second.
Pina strengthened their lead six minutes before the break, clinically slotting past Misa with her low strike.
Putellas added some more gloss to the scoreline with four minutes remaining of normal time, beating the Madrid keeper with a lovely dink to bring up her 199th goal for the club.
Barcelona have won all 10 of their games, and now sit eight points clear of Madrid, who suffered their first league defeat of the campaign.
Data Debrief: Total dominance
Madrid will have felt fairly confident coming into this game after a strong start to their season, but they once again failed to find a way past their Clasico rival.
Los Blancos have lost every single game they have played against Barcelona in all competitions, with this their 15th such meeting.
Barcelona smothered their attack early on, restricting their hosts to just one shot in the first half, while they had 10.
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