Alex Ferguson Recounts Experience on an Emergency Surgery He Had in 2018, Says He’s Grateful For Life

Former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, 79 has expressed his gratitude for the three extra years he has had after suffering a brain hemorrhage in 2018, revealing he had been “terrified” of losing his memory. 

Ferguson, while speaking to BBC ahead of the release of “Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In”, a documentary directed by his son Jason, disclosed that he had emergency surgery three years ago after a fall he had and was in intensive care for several days but was terrified when he was unable to talk during a visit from his grandsons in hospital.

“Probably not taking things too seriously in terms of knowing that you’re vulnerable, if I go tomorrow, I’ll be grateful for the three extra years I had, that’s a feeling I’ve had for quite a while now” he said.

The documentary begins with the audio of the call to the emergency services that Jason made after Ferguson fell ill at home.

“I tried to get out of my bed and just collapsed. I was very fortunate because I fell against a shoe rack, and all the shoes fell out and made a noise, and Cathy (his wife) was downstairs. She came up and got me sat up against the wall, and that’s the last thing I remember.”

“I always depended on that (memory),” he said. “And then my two grandsons were in with me, and all of a sudden I stopped talking, I just couldn’t get a word out.

“And at that moment I was a bit terrified to be honest with you. And I’m starting to think ‘What are we going to do now? You can’t talk, has my memory gone?’.

“Then the speech therapist started, she was fantastic, got me to write all the names of my family, all the names of my players, and then about 10 days later it came back.”

Sir Alex, renowned for his fierce temper and competitive streak as a manager, won 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League crowns as United boss but later stepped down in 2013.