Ferguson and Wenger recreate iconic poses for the Hall of Fame
Two of English football’s greatest rivals reunited this week as Sir Alex Ferguson and his longtime sparring partner Arsene Wenger were added to the team First League hall of fame.
Thankfully the once notoriously fractious relationship between the former arsenal And Manchester United Managers seem to be a lot more polite these days as the pair became the first two initiates of 2023.
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Ferguson has won 15 of the 29 titles in contention to date, while Wenger is a treble winner with the Gunners and is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the development of top-flight English football. Together, the duo oversaw 1,638 Premier League games and individually won more games than any club outside the so-called Big Six.
Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsène Wenger really have more wins here than many teams 😳
True icons of the game.
And into the Premier League Hall of Fame.#PL #OptusSport pic.twitter.com/XKnayCVEYT
— Optus Sport (@OptusSport) March 30, 2023
The couple had a little fun after accepting their medallions by striking a couple of iconic poses, with the United boss tapping his watch in classic ‘Fergie Time’ fashion while his French contemporary mimicked the defiant stance that he took on the dugouts after being sent off at Old Trafford in 2009.
The Premier League Hall of Fame was inaugurated in 2021 with Alan Shearer, Eric Cantona, Thierry Henry, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Dennis Bergkamp, Steven Gerrard and David Beckham forming the front row of inductees.
The following year, Wayne Rooney, Patrick Vieira, Sergio Aguero, Didier Drogba, Vincent Kompany, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes and Ian Wright took their rightful places in the pantheon.
While few could argue that these iconic names fully justified Hall of Fame status, it did raise the question of why the Premier League had previously chosen to ignore its most decorated managers in history for so long.
Ferguson and Wenger are the first figures to be inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2023, with a shortlist of 15 former players eligible for next induction: Tony Adams, Sol Campbell, Michael Carrick, Petr Cech, Andrew Cole, Ashley Cole, Jermain Defoe, Les Ferdinand, Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler, Gary Neville, Michael Owen, John Terry, Yaya Touré and Nemanja Vidic.
Voting is open to Monday 10 April 6pm, with the three candidates being announced on Wednesday 3 May.
Those who make it are sure to keep extremely valued company.
