Alex Ferguson nearly left football for Canada without informing his parents before Manchester United’s triumphs, discloses former manager.

October 2, 2026 dailymirror

SIR ALEX FERGUSON has revealed that he came close to leaving football behind for a new life in Canada.

While featured on BBC Breakfast to promote his latest book, *Games of My Life*, Ferguson shared the terrifying ordeal he faced after suffering a brain hemorrhage in 2018, which almost claimed his life.

Scotland v Ivory Coast - International Friendly — Sir Alex Ferguson discussed how he nearly made the life-altering decision to leave football for a new life in CanadaCredit: Getty

Alex Ferguson - 1965 — Ferguson revealed he nearly abandoned his football career for a new beginning in CanadaCredit: Getty

In a shocking confession, the 84-year-old football legend shared that at 20, he seriously considered relocating to North America, leaving his UK lifestyle behind.

This decision could have dramatically impacted not only Ferguson’s life but also the futures of Manchester United and Aberdeen, the clubs where he became a revered figure in the football world.

<li class="previous"><a href="https://dailymirror.co.za/2026/10/02/anglogold-ashanti-criticized-by-jse-for-delayed-sens-earnings-release/" rel="prev"><span class="meta-nav"><svg class="cm-icon cm-icon--arrow-left-long" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewbox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M2 12.38a1 1 0 0 1 0-.76.91.91 0 0 1 .22-.33L6.52 7a1 1 0 0 1 1.42 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1.41L5.36 11H21a1 1 0 0 1 0 2H5.36l2.58 2.58a1 1 0 0 1 0 1.41 1 1 0 0 1-.71.3 1 1 0 0 1-.71-.3l-4.28-4.28a.91.91 0 0 1-.24-.33Z"></path></svg></span> AngloGold Ashanti Criticized by JSE for Delayed Sens Earnings Release</a></li> <li class="next"><a href="https://dailymirror.co.za/2026/10/02/robinhood-reports-stock-token-trading-volume-reaching-limits-for-sec-exemption/" rel="next">Robinhood Reports Stock Token Trading Volume Reaching Limits for SEC Exemption <span class="meta-nav"><svg class="cm-icon cm-icon--arrow-right-long" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewbox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M21.92 12.38a1 1 0 0 0 0-.76 1 1 0 0 0-.21-.33L17.42 7A1 1 0 0 0 16 8.42L18.59 11H2.94a1 1 0 1 0 0 2h15.65L16 15.58A1 1 0 0 0 16 17a1 1 0 0 0 1.41 0l4.29-4.28a1 1 0 0 0 .22-.34Z"></path></svg></span></a></li> </ul> <div id="comments" class="comments-area"> <div id="respond" class="comment-respond"> <h3 id="reply-title" class="comment-reply-title">Leave a Reply <small><a rel="nofollow" id="cancel-comment-reply-link" href="/2026/10/02/alex-ferguson-nearly-left-football-for-canada-without-informing-his-parents-before-manchester-uniteds-triumphs-discloses-former-manager/#respond" style="display:none;">Cancel reply</a></small></h3><form action="https://dailymirror.co.za/wp-comments-post.php" method="post" id="commentform" class="comment-form"><p class="comment-notes"><span id="email-notes">Your email address will not be published.</span> <span class="required-field-message">Required fields are marked <span class="required">*</span></span></p><p class="comment-form-comment"><label for="comment">Comment <span class="required">*</span></label> <textarea id="comment" name="comment" cols="45" rows="8" maxlength="65525" required></textarea></p><p class="comment-form-author"><label for="author">Name <span class="required">*</span></label> <input id="author" name="author" type="text" value="" size="30" maxlength="245" autocomplete="name" required /></p> <p class="comment-form-email"><label for="email">Email <span class="required">*</span></label> <input id="email" name="email" type="email" value="" size="30" maxlength="100" aria-describedby="email-notes" autocomplete="email" required /></p> <p class="comment-form-url"><label for="url">Website</label> <input id="url" name="url" type="url" value="" size="30" maxlength="200" autocomplete="url" /></p> <p class="comment-form-cookies-consent"><input id="wp-comment-cookies-consent" name="wp-comment-cookies-consent" type="checkbox" value="yes" /> <label for="wp-comment-cookies-consent">Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.</label></p> <p class="comment-subscription-form"><input type="checkbox" name="subscribe_comments" id="subscribe_comments" value="subscribe" style="width: auto; -moz-appearance: checkbox; -webkit-appearance: checkbox;" /> <label class="subscribe-label" id="subscribe-label" for="subscribe_comments">Notify me of follow-up comments by email.</label></p><p class="comment-subscription-form"><input type="checkbox" name="subscribe_blog" id="subscribe_blog" value="subscribe" style="width: auto; -moz-appearance: checkbox; -webkit-appearance: checkbox;" /> <label class="subscribe-label" id="subscribe-blog-label" for="subscribe_blog">Notify me of new posts by email.</label></p><p class="form-submit"><input name="submit" type="submit" id="submit" class="submit" value="Post Comment" /> <input type='hidden' name='comment_post_ID' value='109127' id='comment_post_ID' /> <input type='hidden' name='comment_parent' id='comment_parent' value='0' /> </p></form> </div> </div> </div> <div id="cm-secondary" class="cm-secondary"> <aside id="text-5" class="widget widget_text"> <div class="textwidget"></div> </aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="advertisement_above_footer"> <div class="inner-wrap"> <aside id="block-2" class="widget widget_block"><div id="daily-1062960169"><a href="https://www.devland.co.za/" aria-label="devland"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://dailymirror.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/devland.png" alt="" width="300" height="110" /></a></div></aside><aside id="block-3" class="widget widget_block"><div id="daily-1785150348"><a href="https://fairfieldmeats.co.za/" aria-label="fairfield"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://dailymirror.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/fairfield.jpg" alt="" width="325" height="110" /></a></div></aside> </div> </div> <footer id="cm-footer" class="cm-footer "> <div class="cm-footer-cols"> <div class="cm-container"> <div class="cm-row"> <div class="cm-lower-footer-cols"> <div class="cm-lower-footer-col cm-lower-footer-col--1"> <aside id="text-3" class="widget widget_text"> <div class="textwidget"><p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-237 size-medium" src="https://dailymirror.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IMG_20200708_171058-e1594986320974-300x58.png" alt="" width="300" height="58" srcset="https://dailymirror.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IMG_20200708_171058-e1594986320974-300x58.png 300w, https://dailymirror.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IMG_20200708_171058-e1594986320974-1024x198.png 1024w, https://dailymirror.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IMG_20200708_171058-e1594986320974-768x149.png 768w, https://dailymirror.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IMG_20200708_171058-e1594986320974.png 1256w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></p> <p>The Daily Mirror, dailymirror.co.za, Copyright.</p> <p>A Division of Swift Kinetic</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="" src="https://affluencer.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Logopit_1587558932983-300x300.png" width="118" height="118" /></p> <p> </p> </div> </aside> </div> <div class="cm-lower-footer-col cm-lower-footer-col--2"> </div> <div class="cm-lower-footer-col cm-lower-footer-col--3"> </div> <div class="cm-lower-footer-col cm-lower-footer-col--4"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="cm-footer-bar cm-footer-bar-style-1"> <div class="cm-container"> <div class="cm-row"> <div class="cm-footer-bar-area"> <div class="cm-footer-bar__1"> <nav class="cm-footer-menu"> </nav> </div>  <div class="cm-footer-bar__2"> </div>  </div> </div> </div> </div> </footer> <a href="#cm-masthead" id="scroll-up"><i class="fa fa-chevron-up"></i></a> </div> <script type="speculationrules"> {"prefetch":[{"source":"document","where":{"and":[{"href_matches":"/*"},{"not":{"href_matches":["/wp-*.php","/wp-admin/*","/wp-content/uploads/*","/wp-content/*","/wp-content/plugins/*","/wp-content/themes/colormag/*","/*\\?(.+)"]}},{"not":{"selector_matches":"a[rel~=\"nofollow\"]"}},{"not":{"selector_matches":".no-prefetch, .no-prefetch a"}}]},"eagerness":"conservative"}]} </script> <script async data-wp-strategy="async" fetchpriority="low" id="comment-reply-js" src="https://dailymirror.co.za/wp-includes/js/comment-reply.min.js?ver=7.0.7"></script> <script id="colormag-bxslider-js" src="https://dailymirror.co.za/wp-content/themes/colormag/assets/js/jquery.bxslider.min.js?ver=3.1.5"></script> <script id="colormag-news-ticker-js" src="https://dailymirror.co.za/wp-content/themes/colormag/assets/js/news-ticker/jquery.newsTicker.min.js?ver=3.1.5"></script> <script id="colormag-navigation-js" src="https://dailymirror.co.za/wp-content/themes/colormag/assets/js/navigation.min.js?ver=3.1.5"></script> <script id="colormag-fitvids-js" src="https://dailymirror.co.za/wp-content/themes/colormag/assets/js/fitvids/jquery.fitvids.min.js?ver=3.1.5"></script> <script id="colormag-skip-link-focus-fix-js" src="https://dailymirror.co.za/wp-content/themes/colormag/assets/js/skip-link-focus-fix.min.js?ver=3.1.5"></script> <script id="colormag-custom-js" src="https://dailymirror.co.za/wp-content/themes/colormag/assets/js/colormag-custom.min.js?ver=3.1.5"></script> <script id="advanced-ads-find-adblocker-js" src="https://dailymirror.co.za/wp-content/plugins/advanced-ads/admin/assets/js/advertisement.js"></script> <script id="jetpack-stats-js-before"> _stq = window._stq || []; _stq.push([ "view", {"v":"ext","blog":"212481372","post":"109127","tz":"0","srv":"dailymirror.co.za","j":"1:16.3.1"} ]); _stq.push([ "clickTrackerInit", "212481372", "109127" ]); //# sourceURL=jetpack-stats-js-before </script> <script data-wp-strategy="defer" defer fetchpriority="low" id="jetpack-stats-js" src="https://stats.wp.com/e-202642.js"></script> <script id="wp-emoji-settings" type="application/json"> {"baseUrl":"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/","ext":".png","svgUrl":"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/svg/","svgExt":".svg","source":{"concatemoji":"https://dailymirror.co.za/wp-includes/js/wp-emoji-release.min.js?ver=7.0.7"}} </script> <script type="module"> /*! This file is auto-generated */ var e="script#wp-emoji-settings",t=document.querySelector(e);if(!(t instanceof HTMLScriptElement))throw new Error("Element missing: "+e);const r=JSON.parse(t.text),s=(window._wpemojiSettings=r,"wpEmojiSettingsSupports"),o=["flag","emoji"];function i(e){try{var t={supportTests:e,timestamp:(new Date).valueOf()};sessionStorage.setItem(s,JSON.stringify(t))}catch(e){}}function c(e,t,n){e.clearRect(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height),e.fillText(t,0,0);t=new Uint32Array(e.getImageData(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height).data);e.clearRect(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height),e.fillText(n,0,0);const r=new Uint32Array(e.getImageData(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height).data);return t.every((e,t)=>e===r[t])}function p(e,t){e.clearRect(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height),e.fillText(t,0,0);var n=e.getImageData(16,16,1,1);for(let e=0;e<n.data.length;e++)if(0!==n.data[e])return!1;return!0}function u(e,t,n,r){switch(t){case"flag":return n(e,"\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f","\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200b\u26a7\ufe0f")?!1:!n(e,"\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\uddf6","\ud83c\udde8\u200b\ud83c\uddf6")&&!n(e,"\ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc65\udb40\udc6e\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc7f","\ud83c\udff4\u200b\udb40\udc67\u200b\udb40\udc62\u200b\udb40\udc65\u200b\udb40\udc6e\u200b\udb40\udc67\u200b\udb40\udc7f");case"emoji":return!r(e,"\ud83e\u1fac8")}return!1}function f(e,t,n,r){let a;const s=(a="undefined"!=typeof WorkerGlobalScope&&self instanceof WorkerGlobalScope?new OffscreenCanvas(300,150):document.createElement("canvas")).getContext("2d",{willReadFrequently:!0}),o=(s.textBaseline="top",s.font="600 32px Arial",{});return e.forEach(e=>{o[e]=t(s,e,n,r)}),o}function a(e){var t=document.createElement("script");t.src=e,t.defer=!0,document.head.appendChild(t)}r.supports={everything:!0,everythingExceptFlag:!0},new Promise(t=>{let n=function(){try{var e=JSON.parse(sessionStorage.getItem(s));if("object"==typeof e&&"number"==typeof e.timestamp&&(new Date).valueOf()<e.timestamp+604800&&"object"==typeof e.supportTests)return e.supportTests}catch(e){}return null}();if(!n){if("undefined"!=typeof Worker&&"undefined"!=typeof OffscreenCanvas&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&URL.createObjectURL&&"undefined"!=typeof Blob)try{var e="postMessage("+f.toString()+"("+[JSON.stringify(o),u.toString(),c.toString(),p.toString()].join(",")+"));",r=new Blob([e],{type:"text/javascript"});const a=new Worker(URL.createObjectURL(r),{name:"wpTestEmojiSupports"});return void(a.onmessage=e=>{i(n=e.data),a.terminate(),t(n)})}catch(e){}i(n=f(o,u,c,p))}t(n)}).then(e=>{for(const n in e)r.supports[n]=e[n],r.supports.everything=r.supports.everything&&r.supports[n],"flag"!==n&&(r.supports.everythingExceptFlag=r.supports.everythingExceptFlag&&r.supports[n]);var t;r.supports.everythingExceptFlag=r.supports.everythingExceptFlag&&!r.supports.flag,r.supports.everything||((t=r.source||{}).concatemoji?a(t.concatemoji):t.wpemoji&&t.twemoji&&(a(t.twemoji),a(t.wpemoji)))}); //# sourceURL=https://dailymirror.co.za/wp-includes/js/wp-emoji-loader.min.js </script> <script>!function(){window.advanced_ads_ready_queue=window.advanced_ads_ready_queue||[],advanced_ads_ready_queue.push=window.advanced_ads_ready;for(var d=0,a=advanced_ads_ready_queue.length;d<a;d++)advanced_ads_ready(advanced_ads_ready_queue[d])}();</script> </body> </html>

Sign up for the newsletter

Thank you!