Arsene Wenger managed 828 games, the most matches ever in the competition. Sir Alex Ferguson managed Manchester United and won the Premier League title 13 times, nine more times than any other manager in league history.
Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, two legendary coaches, have been elected into the Premier League Hall of Fame.
The pair left a tremendous legacy with their respective clubs, Manchester United and Arsenal, winning a total of 16 Premier League championships while forging one of the most storied rivalries in the annals of the league.
Since the Premier League’s start in 1992, individuals who have demonstrated outstanding success and made a significant contribution are recognized and honoured in the Hall of Fame. The League awards it as the highest individual honour.
With a record 13 titles under his belt, Sir Alex is the most successful manager in Premier League history. On two separate instances, he also won the championship for three straight seasons.
His Manchester United team won the inaugural Premier League title in 1992/93 to provide the club’s first league triumph since 1967 and usher in a tremendous era of success over an amazing 27-year career at Old Trafford, which included 21 Premier League seasons.
The United team was completely rebuilt numerous times throughout his tenure, and he made a point of developing tremendous indigenous talent, particularly the “Class of ’92,” as well as a multitude of international superstars. In the 2012–13 season, he won his final Premier League championship.
David Beckham, Eric Cantona, Roy Keane, Wayne Rooney, Peter Schmeichel, and Paul Scholes are the six players that Ferguson has coached who have already been honoured in the Premier League Hall of Fame.
Sir Alex now holds the all-time Premier League record with 528 victories from 810 games and 1,752 total points. He received the monthly award 27 times and was awarded manager of the season 11 times.
Ferguson said: “I’m truly delighted to be inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame. It’s an honour when you receive recognition like this. However, it’s not just about me as a person. It’s about the job at Manchester United and the bond we had over many years, so I’m also proud of the club, the staff and my players.
“My job was to send the fans home happy. United’s history and my own expectations were the things that drove me, and I then had to try and develop all my players with the same expectations and make sure we could go out and achieve them.
“I feel Arsene is a very worthy inductee as he transformed Arsenal Football Club fantastically. They became a tough team to compete with and we both wanted to win, which motivated us further.
“Through the years since retirement, we’d go for dinner together in a little restaurant he knows well in Switzerland. He is a really interesting man and I enjoy his company, but it is still my job to pick the wine!”
Arsenal’s 22-year tenure under Wenger is a Premier League record. In 2003–04, when “The Invincibles” became the first side to win the league while going undefeated the entire season, he won the Premier League three times.
Wenger made a great and immediate impact upon entering the Premier League as one of the first foreign managers in 1996. By his innovative football philosophy and dedication to playing exciting, attacking football, he upped standards and won the title in 1997–98, his first full season with the team.
In particular, Wenger led a clever transfer plan that resulted in the recruitment of fellow Hall of Fame members Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira. This strategy included scouting for potential abroad.
Wenger has overseen 828 Premier League games, winning 476 and drawing 199. He received the season management award in 1998, 2002, and 2004.
Wenger said: “I am very grateful to have been selected for the Premier League Hall of Fame. We always wanted to give something special to the fans and when you have players capable of remarkable things, the most important thing for me is the obligation of perfection.
“I’d like to be known as someone who loved Arsenal, who respected the values of the club and left it in a position where it can grow and become even bigger.
“To share this with Sir Alex is a great honour for me. It’s like two boxers, you fight like mad and go the distance together. At the end of the day, you have respect and it will be a great opportunity to meet with him, share a good bottle of wine and memories of our old battles.”
