Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson, popularly known as Sir Alex, is considered by many as one of the greatest managers of all time. The former Scottish footballer player and Manchester United manager is one of the most accomplished managers in the history of club football. In his 26 incredible years, he guided the Red Devils to 13 league titles, five FA Cups, four League Cups, two European Cups and one Club World Cup. He is also credited for leading Manchester United in 800 Premier League and 1,500 matches in all competitions.
By the end of the 2012-13 season, the legendary Scotsman decided to bring the curtains down on his illustrious career. However, Sir Alex was denied victory in his 1,500th and final game in charge of Premier League giants, against West Bromwich Albion. Romelu Lukaku’s hat-trick earned the Baggies a 5-5 draw at Hawthorns.
Here we take a look at Sir Alex’s playing XI in that iconic match and where are they now:
Anders Lindegaard – Goalkeeper: The shot-stopper moved from Norwegian club Aalesund and joined Man Utd in 2010. He spent five seasons with the Red Devils before switching to West Bromwich Albion and Burnley in the Premier League. The Danish goalkeeper currently plies his trade for Swedish top-tier club Helsingborg.
Antonio Valencia – Defender: After stints at Villareal, Recreativo Huelva and Wigan Athletic, he joined Manchester United in 2009. He played at the club for a decade and then played for Ecuador and Mexican clubs, before hanging his boots in May 2021.
Phil Jones – Defender: The English centre-back is the only member of the then team who still plays for the Premier League giants. He joined Manchester United in 2011, in 2019 he signed a four-year contract, however, he has played very sparingly due to injury issues. He started his career with Blackburn Rovers in 2009.
Jonny Evans – Defender: A Manchester United youth prodigy, Evans was promoted to the senior side in 2005 and remained at the club for the next 10 seasons. In between, he went on loan spells to Royal Antwerp and Sunderland. He joined West Bromwich Albion in 2015 and since 2018, Evans plays for Leicester City.
Alexander Buttner – Defender: The Dutch footballer joined the Premier League giants from Vitesse in 2012. He spent two seasons at the club and then played for Dynamo Moscow, Anderlecht and New England Revolution in the MLS. He joined Dutch top-tier club RKC Waalwijk earlier this year.
Shinji Kagawa – Midfielder: The Japanese midfielder had a two-season stint from 2012 to 2014 before heading back to Borussia Dortmund. He joined the German club in 2010. He later plied his trade for Besiktas, Real Zaragoza and at present plays for Greek top division side PAOK.
Javier Hernandez – Striker: The Mexican attacking midfielder played for the Red Devils from 2010 to 2015. In the final season of his contract, Hernandez was sent on loan to Real Madrid. After leaving the Old Trafford club, he played for West Ham United, Sevilla and currently is part of LA Galaxy.
Michael Carrick – Midfielder: A West United youth product, he was promoted to the senior side in 1999. He joined Tottenham Hotspur in 2004 and then moved to Manchester United in 2006. He remained at the club until the end of his playing career in 2018. Post-retirement, he served as an assistant coach for the Red Devils and worked under Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. He was temporarily appointed as a caretaker manager after Solskjaer left the club in November 2021.
Anderson – Midfielder: The Brazilian joined Manchester United in 2007 and played until the 2015 season. He moved back to Brazil and played for Internacional and Coritiba. He then plied his trade for two seasons at Turkish top division side Adana Demirspor, before announcing his retirement in September 2020.
Tom Cleverley – Midfielder: Another Man Utd academy graduate, Cleverley was promoted to the senior side in 2008 and remained with the club until 2015. In between, he had stints in the Premier League with clubs like Leicester City, Watford and Aston Villa on loan spells. The midfielder currently plays for Watford.
Robin van Persie – Striker: The Dutch star joined Manchester United from Arsenal in 2012 and spent three seasons at Old Trafford. After a Premier League stint, he played for Turkish club Fenerbahce and Dutch side Feyenoord. Van Persie retired from professional football in 2019 and currently is a strikers’ coach at Feyenoord.
Paul Scholes – Midfielder: The Manchester United academy graduate and a club legend played as a substitute in this match. He was with the Red Devils throughout his professional career before retiring in 2013, notably the same year as Sir Alex. Since then, the Englishman has been a part-owner of Salford City (2014); caretaker manager (2015). In 2017 he was appointed as technical advisor at PVF Football Academy. Scholes also had brief stints as manager for Oldham Athletic (2019) and Salford (2020).
Ryan Giggs – Midfielder (substitute): Another club legend, Giggs had a 24-year long association with Manchester United. He is the most-capped Red Devils player of all time with 936 caps under his belt before he retired in 2014. He was appointed as the player-cum-interim manager of the Old Trafford side in the final four matches of the 2013-14 season. Post-retirement, he became the assistant manager under Louis van Gaal for the next two seasons. In 2018, Giggs was appointed as the manager of the Wales national team, which he quit in 2021 due to personal reasons.
Rio Ferdinand – Defender (substitute): The English defender joined Manchester United in 2002 from Leeds United for a record transfer fee of GBP 30 million then. Ferdinand played for 12 years, after which he joined Queens Park Rangers for a year in 2014 and retired from professional football the following year. He currently works as a TV pundit among numerous other roles.
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