'Bridget's death changed everything': Sir Alex Ferguson speaks for the first time on his decision to quit Man United because of his grief-stricken wife - and how he broke down after telling his players

Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed that he only decided to quit Manchester United after his wife lost her sister.

The Scot says he cried in his office after telling his players and staff that he would be leaving the club after 27 years in 2013.

Ferguson, now 84, won a 13th and final Premier League title that May to wrap up his illustrious managerial career.

Lady Cathy, who Ferguson described as his bedrock, lived until the age of 84 but died in October 2023.

'I hadn't been contemplating retirement until October 2012, when Bridget, Cathy's sister, had died,' Ferguson explains in his new book, Games of My Life.

'On the surface, and for fans, I'm sure nothing had seemed wrong. I was in good health.

Sir Alex Ferguson says his decision to retire came after his wife Cathy lost her sister

Ferguson got married to Cathy in 1966 and they remained together until her death in 2023

'I tried to keep myself fit. I felt as if I had plenty of energy even though, when my hip flared up, I sometimes thought I would never want to be seen on the track alongside the pitch with a walking stick. I was enjoying the club and the football, but Bridget's death changed everything.

'It was a hammer blow for Cathy because Bridget had been part of her life forever. They had the closest bond I have ever seen between siblings. Except for Cathy and our sons, nobody knew about my decision until David Gill [former United CEO] came to see me one Sunday afternoon in February and told me that he too had decided to retire.

'I managed to keep my emotions in check while I conveyed my news to the coaching staff, players and everyone else at Carrington. It wasn't until I got back to the office and shut the door that everything caught up with me.

'I just sat at my desk and cried. I knew then it was over. I'd not be taking this team to Wembley or to European games and I'd not be sending a team out to win a cup or a league. After I wiped my eyes, I thought I had better clear out quickly before the news was made public.

'Four days later, we were at Old Trafford, facing Swansea City. The quietest part of any game for a manager is when the players are on the field warming up. I was in the dressing room with Rod Thornley, the masseur, and we were sitting on the treatment table chatting.

'At the time, I couldn't help thinking, "I'll never have this again". I expressed as much to Rod and he replied with confidence: "You'll never last. You'll be back next year. Don't worry about that". I couldn't wait for the game to start, so I didn't lose myself in second thoughts or nostalgia.'

Lady Cathy was survived by her husband, three sons, two sisters, 12 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Sir Alex and Lady Cathy met in 1964 before marrying two years later.

Ferguson reveals in his new book that he cried after telling his players and staff he was leaving Manchester United in 2013

When he announced his retirement as United manager in 2013 after an unprecedented period of success, Sir Alex said: 'My wife Cathy has been the key figure throughout my career, providing a bedrock of both stability and encouragement. Words are not enough to express what this has meant to me.'

He has also described her as the only person in the world he does not answer back to – quite something for a man renowned for issuing terrifying 'hairdryer treatments' to footballers not pulling their weight.

The couple had met while they were both working at a typewriter factory in Glasgow.

In a 2021 documentary titled Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In – directed by their son Jason – Cathy revealed she had originally thought Sir Alex looked like a 'thug' before she softened on him and they went on a cinema date.

She said: 'I just saw him walking through and I thought he was a thug. Then I found out he was a footballer and that didn't make him any different to me.

'He bought me a box of Liquorice Allsorts at the movies, of which he ate all of them, and a local paper when we came out. That was my romantic day.

'We got married in Glasgow registry office in 1966 and that was the start. I went to my work and he went to his football.'