To Manchester United fans, Sir Alex Ferguson has always been a figure of strength and resilience. Yet the period since his retirement in 2013 has pushed the iconic manager through trials that football never managed to inflict.

The first major turning point came in May 2018, when he was struck by a sudden brain haemorrhage that demanded emergency, life-saving surgery. While in hospital, Sir Alex found himself asking "how many sunny days I would see again".

Given the circumstances, his pessimism was understandable. Medical staff believed that his chances of survival upon arrival at Salford Royal Hospital were only 20 per cent.

"There were five brain haemorrhages that day," Ferguson, then aged 79, said in the 2021 documentary 'Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In'. "Three died. Two survived. You know you are lucky.

"It was a beautiful day, I remember that. I wondered how many sunny days I would ever see again. I found that difficult."

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Early in his recovery, the 13-time Premier League champion worried that he might permanently lose his memory after a setback that left him unable to speak properly. "I was trying to force it out but I couldn't get it out," he explained. "One of the doctors came in and I was crying because I felt helpless."

Looking back on the moment he collapsed at home, Ferguson confessed that feelings of "loneliness" and the fear of death entered his thoughts. "The moments when you are on your own, there is that fear and loneliness that creeps into your mind," he said. "You don't want to die. That is where I was at. These things did flash through my mind quite a lot."

Although Ferguson eventually recovered fully, the years that followed brought significant changes to his personal life. Towards the end of 2023, Sir Alex was devastated by the death of his wife of 57 years, Lady Cathy, whom he often described as the "bedrock" of his life.

He has also said she was the only person he never answered back to - a remarkable admission from a man famous for unleashing fearsome 'hairdryer treatments' on underperforming players.

The couple first met in 1964 while working at a typewriter factory and married two years later. Cathy went on to have a crucial influence on Ferguson's career, offering stability and support while also shaping key moments, including persuading him to reverse his decision to retire in 2002.

Following her death, Sir Alex acknowledged that he had "struggled to leave the house." Consumed by grief, he opted to spend time travelling to distract himself, visiting destinations such as Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong and Bahrain.

After returning home, he joined a dementia support group and later decided to sell his £3.25million Cheshire home, where he and Cathy had lived since 2010. Sir Alex now resides in the village of Goostrey, near Knutsford, living next door to his son Darren.

Since stepping away from management, Manchester United has remained a constant presence in Ferguson's life. The legendary Scot continues to attend matches regularly, often watching from the directors' box.

However, his paid role as a club ambassador was ended last year as part of wide-ranging cost-cutting measures introduced by owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe. The INEOS chairman, who bought a 25 per cent stake in his boyhood club in February 2024, has overseen hundreds of redundancies at United.

Ferguson had reportedly been earning £2m annually and while he was described as "grumpy" by Ratcliffe when told the position would end, he ultimately responded with dignity. "I take my hat off to Alex," Sir Jim said in March.

"I sat down with Alex, just the two of us in the room. And I said, 'Look, the club isn't where you may think it is. It is spending more than it's earning and we're going to finish up in some difficulties. Honestly, we can't really afford to continue to pay you £2m a year.'

"I said, 'I'm going to leave it with you, let you have a think about it.' It was very grown up. Maybe a little bit grumpy at the beginning, but he got it. He came back three days later, after talking to his son and said, 'Fine, I'm going to step away from it. My decision.'"

He continued: "I think it reflects really well on Alex because he put the club before himself."

For someone whose identity was forged through authority, dominance and constant success, the hardships of recent years have exposed another side of Sir Alex Ferguson - one defined by vulnerability, humility and quiet resolve.

The game once bent to his will, but illness, bereavement and upheaval have required a different resilience altogether. To countless fans, Ferguson will always be the indomitable force on the touchline. But perhaps his greatest victories have come away from the spotlight - in survival, in love and in learning to let go.