Sir Alex Ferguson has been made a lifelong member of Eintracht Frankfurt after crossing paths with them as a player and manager several times, the Bundesliga club said on Tuesday.
Ferguson, 82, told the club website that as a teenager he watched Frankfurt play Rangers in the 1960 European Cup semi-finals and then also attended the final in Glasgow which the West Germans lost 7-3 against Real Madrid.
He later faced Frankfurt as a Rangers player in 1967, scoring a hat-trick, and their paths crossed again in 1979-80 when he was Aberdeen manager and Frankfurt progressed 2-1 on aggregate en route to the UEFA Cup title.
"It was a great lesson for me to go abroad. Some players went out clubbing after the game. Afterwards, I made sure that such a thing never happened again," Ferguson said.
The long-time Manchester United manager also said he is still in contact with German coach Eckhard Krautzun.
"Eckhard and I have been friends since 1973. We were at coaching school together as roommates. In the last week of school, Scotland were playing Brazil, and he told me he would love to see that game. So, I invited him to stay with me. He ended up staying for a week and my wife was starting to ask when he was leaving," Sir Alex said.
"We’ve been very good friends for a long time, and he still visits a lot. He is football mad. Just recently I got him tickets for the Eintracht Frankfurt game in Aberdeen."
Ferguson also managed Scotland and is anticipating their Euro 2024 opener against Germany in Munich on June 14.
"I’m going to see that game live. I must see it. Scotland are not that bad, you know ... The Scottish fans are going to be fantastic," he said.