PROFILE AND HONORS OF FOOTBALLERS AND COACHES: Sep 28, 2009

SIR ALEX FERGUSON

Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE, popularly known as Sir Alex or Fergie (born 31 December 1941 in Govan, Glasgow) is a Scottish football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986.

Ferguson previously managed East Stirlingshire and St. Mirren, before a highly successful period as manager of Aberdeen. Briefly manager of the Scotland national team – in a temporary capacity owing to the death of Jock Stein – he was appointed manager of Manchester United in November 1986.

With 22 years as manager of Manchester United, he is the second-longest serving manager in their history after Sir Matt Busby, while his tenure is the longest of all the current League managers. During this time, Ferguson has won many awards and holds many records including winning Manager of the Year most times in British football history. Manchester United have won more honours during Ferguson's tenure than they did in all the years combined prior to his appointment. At Manchester United, Sir Alex has become the most successful domestic manager in the history of English football, having guided the team to eleven league championships and two Champions League titles. In 1999, he became the first manager to lead an English team to the treble of league championship, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League. As well as being the only manager to win the FA Cup five times, he is also the only manager ever to win three successive league championships in the top flight in England with the same club (1998–99, 1999–2000 and 2000–01), repeating the feat again in 2006–07, 2007–08 and 2008–09. In 2008, he joined Brian Clough (Nottingham Forest) and Bob Paisley (Liverpool) as only the third British manager to win the European Cup on more than one occasion.

He was an inaugural inductee into the English Football Hall of Fame for his services to the English game, was knighted in 1999 by Queen Elizabeth II and currently holds the Freedom of the City of Aberdeen for his services to the city, having managed the city's football club to a host of major trophies in the early to mid 1980s.

Personal information
Full name	Alexander Chapman Ferguson
Date of birth	31 December 1941 (1941-12-31) (age 67)
Place of birth	Glasgow, Scotland
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	Manchester United (manager)
Senior career*
Years	Club	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
1957–1960	Queen's Park	31	(15)
1960–1964	St. Johnstone	37	(19)
1964–1967	Dunfermline Athletic	89	(66)
1967–1969	Rangers	41	(25)
1969–1973	Falkirk	95	(36)
1973–1974	Ayr United	24	(9)
Total		317	(170)
Teams managed
1974	East Stirlingshire
1974–1978	St. Mirren
1978–1986	Aberdeen
1985–1986	Scotland
1986–	Manchester United

Honours

Player

St. Johnstone (1960–1964)

Scottish First Division: 1962–63

Falkirk (1969–1973)

Scottish First Division: 1969–70

Managerial

Ferguson was made an Inaugural Inductee of the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002 in recognition of his impact on the English game as a manager. In 2003, Ferguson became an inaugural recipient of the FA Coaching Diploma, awarded to all coaches who had at least 10 years' experience of being a manager or head coach.

He is the Vice-President of the National Football Museum, based in Preston, and a member of the Executive Committee of the League Managers Association, and the only manager to win the top league honours and the Double north and south of the England-Scotland border (winning the Premiership with Manchester United, and the Scottish Premier League with Aberdeen).^{[citation needed]}

St. Mirren (1974–1978)

Scottish First Division: 1976-77

Aberdeen (1978–1986)

Manchester United (1986–present)

Premier League: 1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09
FA Cup: 1989–90, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1998–99, 2003–04
League Cup: 1991–92, 2005–06, 2008–09
FA Charity/Community Shield: 1990*, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008
UEFA Champions League: 1998–99, 2007–08
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1990–91
UEFA Super Cup: 1991
Intercontinental Cup: 1999
FIFA Club World Cup: 2008

Individual

Football Writers' Association Tribute Award: 1996
Mussabini Medal: 1999
UEFA Champions League Manager of the Year: 1998–99
BBC Sports Personality of the Year Coach Award: 1999
BBC Sports Personality of the Year Team Award: 1999
IFFHS Club Coach of the Year: 1999
LMA Manager of the Decade: 1990s
Laureus World Sports Award for Team of the Year: 2000
BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award: 2001
English Football Hall of Fame: 2002
Onze d'Or Coach of the Year: 1999, 2007
Professional Footballers' Association Merit Award: 2007
UEFA Team of the Year: 2007, 2008
FA Premier League Manager of the Year: 1993–94, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2002–03, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008-09
FA Premier League Manager of the Month: August 1993, October 1994, February 1996, March 1996, February 1997, October 1997, January 1999, April 1999, August 1999, March 2000, April 2000, February 2001, April 2003, December 2003, February 2005, March 2006, August 2006, October 2006, February 2007, January 2008, March 2008, January 2009, April 2009
LMA Manager of the Year: 1998–99, 2007–08
World Soccer Magazine World Manager of the Year: 1993, 1999, 2007, 2008

Statistics

Player

Club performance			League		Cup		League Cup		Continental		Total
Season	Club	League	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Scotland			League		Scottish Cup		Scottish League Cup		Europe		Total
1957–58	Queen's Park	Second Division
1958–59
1959–60
1957–60		Total	31	15
1960–61	St. Johnstone	First Division
1961–62		First Division
1962–63		Second Division
1963–64		First Division
1960–64		Total	37	19
1964–65	Dunfermline Athletic	First Division
1965–66
1966–67
1964–67		Total	89	66
1967–68	Rangers	First Division
1968–69		First Division
1967–69		Total	41	25	6	10	4	9	6	0	57	44
1969–70	Falkirk	First Division
1970–71
1971–72
1972–73
1969–73		Total	95	36
1973–74	Ayr United	First Division	24	9
1973–74	Ayr United	Total	24	9
Total	Scotland		317	170
Career Total			317	170

Manager

Team	Nat	From	To	Record
Team	Nat	From	To	G	W	D	L	GF	GA	Win %
East Stirlingshire		1 June 1974	20 October 1974	&0000000000000017.00000017	&0000000000000010.00000010	&0000000000000004.0000004	&0000000000000003.0000003	?	?	&0000000000000058.82000058.82
St. Mirren		21 October 1974	31 May 1978	&0000000000000151.000000151	&0000000000000063.00000063	&0000000000000049.00000049	&0000000000000039.00000039	?	?	&0000000000000041.72000041.72
Aberdeen		1 August 1978	5 November 1986	&0000000000000455.000000455	&0000000000000269.000000269	&0000000000000106.000000106	&0000000000000080.00000080	&0000000000000914.000000914	&0000000000000374.000000374	&0000000000000059.12000059.12
Scotland		10 September 1985	13 June 1986	&0000000000000010.00000010	&0000000000000003.0000003	&0000000000000004.0000004	&0000000000000003.0000003	&0000000000000008.0000008	&0000000000000005.0000005	&0000000000000030.00000030.00
Manchester United		6 November 1986	Present	&0000000000001286.0000001,286	&0000000000000754.000000754	&0000000000000303.000000303	&0000000000000229.000000229	&0000000000002322.0000002,322	&0000000000001150.0000001,150	&0000000000000058.63000058.63
Total				&0000000000001919.0000001,919	&0000000000001099.0000001,099	&0000000000000466.000000466	&0000000000000354.000000354	?	?	&0000000000000057.27000057.27

As of 26 September 2009.

Lionel Andrés Messi born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine footballer who currently plays for La Liga giants FC Barcelona and the Argentine national team. Messi is considered to be one of the best football players of his generation, having received several Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations by the age of 21. His playing style and ability have drawn comparisons to football legend Diego Maradona, who himself declared Messi his "successor".

Messi began playing football at a young age and his potential was quickly identified by Barcelona. He left Rosario-based Newell's Old Boys's youth team in 2000 and moved with his family to Europe, as Barcelona offered treatment for his growth hormone deficiency. Making his debut in the 2004–05 season, he broke the La Liga record for the youngest footballer to play a league game, and also the youngest to score a league goal. Major honours soon followed as Barcelona won La Liga in Messi's debut season, and won a double of the league and UEFA Champions League in 2006. His breakthrough season was in 2006–07: he became a first team regular, scoring a hat-trick in El Clásico and finishing with 14 goals in 26 league games. Perhaps his most successful season was the 2008–09 season, in which Messi scored 38 goals to play an integral part in a treble winning campaign.

Messi was the top scorer with six goals, including two in the final game of the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship. Shortly thereafter, he became an established member of Argentina's senior international team. In 2006 he became the youngest Argentine to play in the FIFA World Cup and he won a runners-up medal at the Copa América tournament the following year. In 2008, in Beijing, he won his first international honour, an Olympic gold medal, with the Argentina Olympic football team.

Personal information
Full name	Lionel Andrés Messi
Date of birth	24 June 1987 (1987-06-24) (age 22)
Place of birth	Rosario, Argentina
Height	1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)
Playing position	Winger
Club information
Current club	FC Barcelona
Number	10
Youth career
1995–2000	Newell's Old Boys
2000–2003	FC Barcelona
Senior career*
Years	Club	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
2003–2004	FC Barcelona B	5	(0)
2004–	FC Barcelona	113	(59)
National team^‡
2005	Argentina U-20	7	(6)
2008	Argentina Olympic	5	(2)
2005–	Argentina	40	(12)

Club statistics

As of 26 September 2009

Club	Season	League			Cup^{[nb 1]}			Europe^{[nb 2]}			Club World Cup			Total
Club	Season	Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Assists
FC Barcelona	2004–05	7	1	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	9	1	0
	2005–06	17	6	3	2	1	0	6	1	1	0	0	0	25	8	4
	2006–07	26	14	2	4	2	1	6	1	0	0	0	0	36	17	3
	2007–08	28	10	12	3	0	0	9	6	1	0	0	0	40	16	13
	2008–09	31	23	11	8	6	2	12	9	5	0	0	0	51	38	18
	2009–10	4	5	3	1	2	0	2	0	1	0	0	0	7	7	4
Career totals		113	59	31	19	11	3	36	17	8	0	0	0	168	87	42

International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	1 March 2006	Basel, Switzerland	Croatia	2 – 3	Loss	Friendly
2	16 June 2006	Gelsenkirchen, Germany	Serbia and Montenegro	6 – 0	Win	2006 World Cup
3	5 June 2007	Barcelona, Spain	Algeria	4 – 3	Win	Friendly
4	5 June 2007	Barcelona, Spain	Algeria	4 – 3	Win	Friendly
5	8 July 2007	Barquisimeto, Venezuela	Peru	4 – 0	Win	2007 Copa América
6	11 July 2007	Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela	Mexico	0 – 3	Win	2007 Copa América
7	16 October 2007	Maracaibo, Venezuela	Venezuela	0 – 2	Win	2010 World Cup qualifying
8	20 November 2007	Bogotá, Colombia	Colombia	2 – 1	Loss	2010 World Cup qualifying
9	4 June 2008	California, United States	Mexico	1 – 4	Win	Friendly
10	11 October 2008	Buenos Aires, Argentina	Uruguay	2 – 1	Win	2010 World Cup qualifying
11	11 February 2009	Marseille, France	France	0 – 2	Win	Friendly
12	28 March 2009	Buenos Aires, Argentina	Venezuela	4 – 0	Win	2010 World Cup qualifying