815 Goodbye, My Friend

A week after the Champions League final, the television stations, radio stations, newspapers, magazines, the Internet—all the major media outlets were talking about Ferguson's retirement. It was, indeed, the most sensational thing to happen the football world in a while. Although Ferguson had announced his retirement in advance, when the day finally arrived, people still felt unwilling to let go.

Even Wenger, who had been his arch-rival for years, sent well-wishes congratulating Ferguson's retirement. He said, "He has defined an era. This is probably the only time that I've praised him. He's done really well in his twenty-five years at Manchester United. As for the league championship title? You know, life needs to have this sort of regret for it to be beautiful, isn't it?" Wenger laughed slyly.