Sa'ad da Sir Alex Ferguson ya ba kansa lokaci na shiru bayan ƙofar rufe ta ofishinsa a Carrington, nauyin yanke shawara da ya yi sama da shekaru talatin ya faɗo masa ƙarfi. Ya zauna a teburensa ya kuka. "Na san lokacin cewa komai ya ƙare," ya rubuta a sabon littafinsa, Games of My Life. "Ba zan ƙara kai wannan ƙungiyar Wembley ko wasannin Turai ba, kuma ba zan ƙara aika ƙungiya don lashe kofuna ko gasar ba."

Lokacin da ritaya ta zama gaskiya

Ferguson ya riƙe shirin nasa a ɓoye sosai, yana ƙudura kar ya sake maimaita rikicin da sanarwar da aka yi da wuri a 2001 ta haifar. Shawarar ta tabbata a watan Oktoba 2012, bayan mutuwar Bridget, 'yar'uwar matarsa Cathy. A bayyane, ba abin da ya bayyana ya canza ga magoya baya — amma a ɓoye, komai ya riga ya canja.

Sai da babban darakta David Gill ya ziyarci Ferguson wata Lahadi ta watan Fabrairu 2013 — don sanar da shi shirin nasa na ritaya — ne Ferguson ya fara sanar da wani mutum waje da iyalinsa na kusa. Ya riƙe kansa yayin da yake sanar da ma'aikatansa da 'yan wasan a Carrington. Da zarar ƙofar ofishi ta rufe, ba zai iya ƙara riƙe kansa ba.

Ranar 19 ga Mayu 2013 ta kawo wasansa na ƙarshe a matsayin koci — daidaiton 5-5 mai ban mamaki a gaban West Bromwich Albion wanda, a kowane yanayi, da ya haifar da tsawa mai ƙarfi a ɗakin sutura. A maimakon haka, an yi bikin: kakar ta kawo taken Premier League, Paul Scholes ya buga wasansa na 718 kuma na ƙarshe a matakin ƙwararru, kuma Ferguson ya ƙarashe aikinsa na ƙarshe.

Ba da daɗewa ba ya tafi Faransa, yana dawo da otal da danginsa suka fi zuwa tsawon shekaru. A wurin rajista, ma'aikacin otal ya nuna cewa Ferguson ba zai ƙara buƙatar saƙon musamman ba — kwafin jadawalin wasannin Premier League da aka aika masa gaba. "A kakar da ke gaba ba alhakin na ba ne ƙara," Ferguson ya rubuta, "kuma zan iya mayar da hankali kan jin daɗin farkon lokacin bazara na 'yanci tun ina yaro."

Yadda karyewar ƙafar Dion Dublin ta kai ga Eric Cantona

A cikin Games of My Life, Ferguson kuma ya koma wani wasa da ba a san shi sosai ba — nasara 1-0 a gida a kan Crystal Palace a ranar 2 ga Satumba 1992 — a matsayin matakin farko mai ban mamaki zuwa taken gasar farko na Manchester United tun 1967.

A waccan rana, tackling na yau da kullun daga Eric Young na Crystal Palace ya bar Dion Dublin da ƙafar karye da gungumen ƙafa da ya fita, yana hana shi filin wasa har watanni shida. Ferguson ya sanya hannu ga Dublin don magance matsalolin ci da suka ba wa Leeds United damar karɓe taken 1991-92, bayan da ya kasa samun Alan Shearer — wanda Blackburn Rovers suka saye da £3.6 miliyan — da David Hirst na Sheffield Wednesday.

Binciken ya sake farawa. An sake nuna sha'awar Shearer da Hirst; an yi la'akari da Peter Beardsley sa'ad da bai kasance a cikin shirin Everton ba. Babu ɗaya da ya kai ga nasara. Sa'an nan kuma, kusan ba da niyya ba, Eric Cantona ya bayyana a tattaunawar game da tayin Leeds United da yuwuwar Denis Irwin.

"Kamar sauran shugabanni na asali, Eric dole ne an haife shi a matsayin mai tawaye," Ferguson ya rubuta. "Mutumin da zai iya buga wasa a matsayin ɗan gaba shi kaɗai ko a matsayin ɗan gaba mai zurfi. Mutumin da kuma yake son tattaunawar da ta dade game da ƙwallon kafa da hannu a kafaɗa."

Tasirin ya kasance na gaggawa. Manchester United sun yi rashin nasara a gasar sau biyu kawai bayan Cantona ya zo, yana kawo ƙarshen fari na shekaru 26. Ferguson ya alakanta shi da ginshiƙin taken Premier League guda huɗu a cikin shekaru biyar — keɓantacce ɗaya kawai shine kakar 1994-95, sa'ad da aka dakatar da Cantona bayan faɗarsa da ɗan goyon bayan Crystal Palace. "Wannan mai goyon baya da wannan shawarar sun tauye mana taken gasar," Ferguson ya bayyana a faɗi fili.

Ga Dublin, ya yi ƴan wasanni ƙari kafin a sayar da shi. Ferguson yana farin ciki da aiki da Dublin ya yi a bayan haka — amma ya yarda, kamar yadda Dublin kansa ya nuna, cewa gudummawarsa ta mahimmanci ga Manchester United ita ce kawo Cantona Old Trafford ba da niyya ba.

Rayuwa bayan benci

Littafin kuma yana bayyana babi masu ɗan ɓoye daga rayuwar Ferguson. Ya girma yana mai sha'awar Rangers a ƙaramin gida mai ɗakunan kwana biyu a Govan, Glasgow — yana raba ɗaki da ɗan'uwansa yayin da iyayensa ke kwana a daki — duk da cewa mahaifinsa ya goyi bayan Celtic. Sa'ad da yake ɗan wasa a St Johnstone, hat-trick a kan Rangers ya ba shi yabãwar mahaifinsa da ya dogara dogara a kan ta.

A farkon shekarunsa na horaswa a East Stirlingshire da St Mirren, Ferguson lokaci guda yana gudanar da gidajen sha guda biyu, bayan da ya sayi ɗaya yana da shekaru 32 a matsayin tushen samun kuɗi mai ɗorewa.