This article was published on May 8, 2013 and has been updated
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson announced on Wednesday that he will retire at the end of this season, his 27th at the helm of United. Encapsulating his amazing career in numbers is a near impossible task, but that won't keep us from trying...
38. Ferguson won 38 trophies with Manchester United, more than any other manager in the history of English soccer. Including his time with St. Mirren and Aberdeen, he lifted a total of 49 trophies as manager.
13. He won 13 English League titles, seven more than any other manager. Those 13 titles came in 27 seasons, compared to the seven league titles Manchester United won in its previous 80 campaigns. Ferguson added two Champions League trophies, five FA Cups, four League Cups, 10 Community Shields, and one title each in the Club World Cup, Cup Winners' Cup, UEFA Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup.
175. That's how many men managed the other 44 clubs in the Premier League era when he retired in 2013. They combined for a total of 405 seasons and eight league titles, compared to Ferguson's 13 titles in 21 Premier League seasons.
1999. Ferguson's hallmark achievement is the European treble in the 1998-99 season, when Manchester United won the league, Champions League and FA Cup. United are one of six clubs and the only English club to accomplish that triple in a single season.
71. Ferguson was 71 years and 139 days old when he managed his final game on May 19. He was the second-oldest manager in the Premier League era, trailing only Sir Bobby Robson, who was 71 years and 194 days old when he left Newcastle in August 2004.
1,500. Ferguson's final match was his 1,500th as Manchester United manager. He managed 1,035 of them in league play, joining Dario Gradi as the only managers for 1,000 English league games. Ferguson has 894 wins (59.7 percent), 337 draws (22.5 percent), and 267 losses (17.8 percent).