Sir Alex Ferguson was born in 1941 in Govan, Scotland. A goal-scoring centre-forward, he was later transferred to Rangers, the club he supported from boyhood, for a Scottish record fee of 65,000.

Entering management in 1974, he served East Stirlingshire and St Mirren before guiding Aberdeen to victory in the 1982-83 Cup Winners' Cup. Arriving at Manchester United in 1986, he brought them 38 trophies, including the Club World Cup, two Champions Leagues, 13 Premier Leagues and five FA Cups. His overall haul of 49 trophies made him the most successful British manager of all time.

Knighted in 1999, Sir Alex announced his retirement in 2013, when United were again crowned Premier League champions. At the age of 73, he continues to serve United as a director.

In 2012 Harvard Business School created a case-study based on Sir Alex's managerial career: Sir Alex Ferguson: Managing Manchester United, and Sir Alex is now a Fellow to the Executive Education Program at Harvard.

Sir Alex has published three previous books, the most recent of which, Alex Ferguson: My Autobiography became the fastest selling Non-Fiction hardback since records began, when it was published in 2013.