Sir Alex Ferguson delivered a pre-match team talk to inspire Wigan Warriors before they completed a historic rugby league quadruple on Saturday.
Warriors beat Hull Kingston Rovers 9-2 in the Super League Grand Final to clinch a second successive title in front of 68,713 spectators at Old Trafford.
The Cherry and Whites, who also claimed the League Leaders’ Shield after topping the regular season table, have become the first Super League club to win all four major trophies during the same campaign, as they were also victorious in the World Club Challenge and Challenge Cup.
Head coach Matt Peet is a Manchester United fan and has previously cited Sir Alex as one of his coaching idols.
In his post-match interviews at the weekend, Peet revealed that he had arranged for our legendary former boss to speak to the Warriors’ squad on the eve of their big game in M16.
“Sir Alex presented all of the lads’ jerseys,”
Warriors boss Peet explained.
“We reached out through a mutual friend. We just thought that we were on the verge of something similar to when United won the Treble.
“Playing at Old Trafford and with Sir Alex building careers by developing homegrown talent, with his mentality, we thought he’d be the perfect person.
“Fortunately, we could make that happen and he was epic, as you can imagine.
“You hung on every word he said, but it was more about his presence. I’ve never seen the lads so quiet.
“Having a leader like that and a humble man like he was as well, you could hear a pin drop. I can never thank him enough for that.”
This isn’t the first time the Glaswegian has motivated players from a different sport, since his retirement in 2013.
Last year, he delivered a speech to the Sale Sharks squad, ahead of their rugby union Premiership final and met members of the Australia cricket team before the Ashes series.
He is, of course, a huge horse-racing fan but still finds the time to regularly attend United's games, including the 2024 Emirates FA Cup final win at Wembley and, most recently, our goalless draw at Villa Park prior to the international break.