Former Manchester United and Arsenal managers Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger have been inducted into the EPL Hall of Fame, the Premier League has announced.
The duo have become the first managers to be inducted into the Hall of Fame for their outstanding contributions to the league. They follow in the footsteps of the likes of Thiery Henry, Steven Gerrard, Patrick Vieira, David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard, Roy Keane, Eric Cantona, Sergio Aguero, Dennis Bergkamp, Ian Wright, Didier Drogba, Paul Scholes, Vincent Kompany, Peter Schmeichel and Alan Shearer who were inducted in the previous editions.
The legendary duo have 16 Premier League titles between them, with Ferguson alone responsible for 13 of those titles. The Scotsman spent 27 years at Old Trafford, amassing 528 wins from 810 matches and 1,752 points accumulated.
He was named Premier League manager of the season 11 times and collected the Manager of the Month award on 27 occasions.
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Wenger is the only manager to have won the Premier League title without tasting defeat, with his ‘Invincibles’ of 2003 the only club in the competition’s history to go an entire season without losing a game.
The Frenchman managed 828 Premier League matches, including 476 wins and 199 draws. He was voted Manager of the Season in 1998, 2002 and 2004.
Speaking after the announcement of their induction, Ferguson paid homage to Wenger, calling him a ‘worthy inductee’.
“I feel Arsene is a very worthy inductee,” he said.
“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!’
“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.”
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.
“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.”
