For a man to be in the hot-seat of one club and bring success over a very long period requires patience, determination and respect of the players.

Those are just the qualities Sir Alex Ferguson possessed when he was the Manchester United boss. Ferguson, who celebrates his 75th birthday on New Year’s Eve, was at the Old Trafford for more than two decades – 26 years in fact, taking the reins from 1986 to 2013.

He remains the longest-serving manager at Old Trafford. Although he lost his first game in charge, his stint was nothing less than remarkable by not only making United dominant in England but in Europe as well.

Having rebuilt teams and working with the likes of David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo, he won 38 trophies in all, including 13 Premier Leagues, five FA Cups and two Champions League titles.

Other birthdays on this day:

1957: Geoff Marsh, former Australian cricketer, who coached his country to 1999 World Cup glory (58).

1960: Steve Bruce, former footballer, who played as a defender and now manager of Aston Villa (55).

1976: Matthew Hoggard, former cricketer, who played for the England national team (40).

1985: Richie McCaw, former New Zealand skipper and most capped Test rugby player of all time (36).