Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger became the first managers to be inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame.
The legendary duo won 16 Premier League titles between them while developing a fierce rivalry over the years while managing their respective clubs, Manchester United and Arsenal.
They are also the first to be inducted as part of the “Class of 2023”.
Ferguson, 81, is the most successful manager in Premier League history, winning a record 13 titles – including an unprecedented three consecutive seasons on two separate occasions – before retiring in 2013.
After arriving at Old Trafford in 1986, Ferguson helped lead the club back to one of the greatest Premier League titles as he would eventually go on to dethrone Liverpool as the club with the most Premier League titles.
Sir Alex Ferguson (left) and Arsene Wenger (right) have been inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame – the first two managers to do so
The legendary duo established one of the most iconic rivalries in Premier League history
Ferguson (left) reveals that he and Wenger (right) went to dinner in Switzerland
Ferguson also won the inaugural Premier League title in the 1992-93 season and managed some of the game’s best players during his 27 years as manager of the Red Devils.
Renowned for his stellar leadership skills and ability to rebuild title-winning teams time and time again, Ferguson’s all-time record stands at 528 wins from 810 matches and 1,752 points accumulated.
He was named Manager of the Season 11 times and was awarded Manager of the Month on 27 occasions.
‘I’m really happy to be inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame,’ said Ferguson. It is an honor when you receive recognition like this.
However, it is not just about me as a person. It’s about working at Manchester United and the league we’ve had over many years, so I’m also proud of the club, the staff and the players.
My job was to send the fans home happy. United’s history and my own expectations were the things that pushed me and then I had to try to develop all my players with the same expectations and make sure we could go out and deliver.
“I feel Arsene is a very worthy recruit because he has transformed Arsenal Football Club fantastically. They have become a tough team to compete with and we both wanted to win, which motivated us even more.
During the years after retirement we would go to dinner together at a little restaurant he knew well in Switzerland. He’s a really interesting guy and I enjoy his company, but it’s still my job to choose the wine! “
Ferguson is the most successful manager in the history of the Premier League, winning 13 titles
Ferguson won the Premier League title in his final campaign as Manchester United manager
While Ferguson was present at the start of the Premier League, Wenger arrived in 1996 as one of the league’s first foreign managers.
The Frenchman made an immediate impact and helped raise standards through his revolutionary football philosophy with his teams dedicated to playing attractive, attacking football.
Wenger managed to win the Premier League title in his first full season as Arsenal manager in the 1997-98 season, but five years after that he would achieve his biggest achievement to date.
Wenger made history in the 2003-04 season when Arsenal went all season unbeaten to win the title, with his team dubbed “Invincibles”.
Wenger has managed a record 828 Premier League appearances, including 476 wins and 199 draws. He was named Manager of the Season in 1998, 2002 and 2004.
Wenger said: ‘I am very grateful to have been selected into the Premier League Hall of Fame. We’ve always wanted to give the fans something special and when you have players who are capable of great things, the most important thing for me is perfection.
“I would like to be known as someone who loved Arsenal, who respected the club’s values and left it in a position to grow and become even bigger.
Sharing this with Sir Alex is a great honor for me. It’s like two boxers, fighting madly and going the distance together.
“At the end of the day, you have the respect and it would be a great opportunity to meet him and share a good bottle of wine and memories of our old fights.”
Eight recruits have been named as part of the inaugural lineup when the gong launches in 2021.
Wenger holds aloft his third Premier League title while at Islington Town Hall in 2004
Wenger’s ‘indomitable’ Arsenal side went the entire 2003-04 season unbeaten to win the title
Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry, Eric Cantona, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Dennis Bergkamp and David Beckham made up the first group before Paul Scholes, Didier Drogba, Peter Schmeichel, Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany and Ian Wright joined. category of the year.
This year’s inductees will be officially enshrined in the Premier League Hall of Fame in May.
Richard Masters, Chief Executive of the Premier League, said: “We are delighted to welcome our first two coaches into the Premier League Hall of Fame. Both Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger have made a remarkable contribution to the history of football in this country.
They have brought unparalleled levels of success to Manchester United and Arsenal respectively, raising standards and thrilling fans with a rivalry that has led to an astonishing 16 trophy triumphs between them.
Manchester United’s dominance under Sir Alex remains unparalleled after he led them to an astonishing 13 titles across 21 seasons in the Premier League. Maintaining this level of success for so long means that he is rightfully regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time.
An innovator who was far ahead of his time, Arsene introduced many changes to Arsenal that would be replicated at other clubs. His teams played some of the best football we have ever seen and the Invincibles season is not only one of the greatest achievements in English football, but sport in general.
The Hall of Fame is launched in 2021, with inductees including David Beckham, Dennis Bergkamp, Eric Cantona, Thierry Henry, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Alan Shearer.
In 2022, Sergio Agüero, Didier Drogba, Vincent Kompany, Wayne Rooney, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes, Patrick Vieira and Ian Wright are the next group to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Ferguson (left) and Wenger (right) hit their famous poses after their Hall of Fame induction
Six of those recruited have been coached by Ferguson (Cantona, Kane, Beckham, Rooney, Scholes and Schmeichel), while four have been coached by Wenger (Henry, Bergkamp, Vieira and Wright).
To be eligible for induction into the Premier League Hall of Fame, individuals must have retired as of 1 January 2023, and candidacy is only considered in connection with an individual’s career in the Premier League.
A shortlist of 15 former Premier League players will be eligible to enter this year’s class, with the list announced on Thursday, 30 March. Fans will be able to help select three more nominees to join the 16 players already in the Hall of Fame.
will be voted in www.premierleague.com/halloffame And on the official Premier League app until 6pm (UK time) on Monday 10th April.
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