SIR ALEX FERGUSON has opened up on his health and dementia fears in a rare interview.
The 84-year-old Manchester United legend has explained that his own footballing experiences have left him concerned about his future.
He has gone to great lengths to support his brother Martin’s journey with dementia, including buying a house in Glasgow to be closer to him.
Ferguson has also become a major supporter of dementia charities, including Formula 1 legend Jackie Stewart‘s Race Against Dementia. He told The Observer: “I worried about that myself because I headed the ball a lot.” “All footballers did. Dementia’s a challenge for anyone getting older. You worry about it a lot. I always say to myself: ‘I’m 84. If I get to 85, I’ll be all right.’”
Ferguson has drawn inspiration from former professional boxer Jake LaMotta, who had 106 fights and still lived until the age of 95. LaMotta was portrayed in Martin Scorsese’s 1980 film Raging Bull.
The legendary manager has also explained that dementia charity Playlist for Life has helped to enhance his brother Martin’s quality of life.
Sir Alex added: “He recognises me, which is great. In Glasgow, they started a music thing, and the idea is that you give them a box with all your favourite songs in it. They can just press a button to play them, and it brings all the memories back.”
This was met with a generous £100,000 donation to the charity, with Ferguson submitting a playlist featuring songs from Frank Sinatra, the Beatles, and Elvis Presley.
Despite retiring from his managerial career in 2013, Ferguson has maintained his loyal support of United with visits to watch the club in person. He has also faced his own string of medical issues, with Ferguson opening up about a brain hemorrhage scare suffered in 2018, being given just a 20 percent chance of survival. The United icon was rushed to hospital after suffering another health scare ahead of the club’s clash against bitter rivals Liverpool in May.Ferguson was last month spotted with his foot in a medical boot — revealed to be due to an achilles issue.
However, he has remained in good spirits as he continues to support United from the stands — Sun..
