Premier League Hall of Fame Welcomes Its First Managers As Arsenal And Man United Legends Are Honored
Former rivals Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger have become the first two managers to be inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame.
Ferguson, 81, is the most successful manager in EPL history, having led Manchester United to 13 titles.
Under Ferguson, United won eight of the first 12 editions of the Premier League following the competition's inception in 1992.
Arsenal were the second most successful team during that period as Wenger led his side to glory in 1998, 2002 and 2004.
Wenger's finest achievement came in the 2003/04 season when his 'Invincible' Arsenal side won the EPL title without losing a single game.
Arsene Wenger (left) pictured chatting with Sir Alex Ferguson at a game between Arsenal and Manchester United in April 2004
IMAGO/Colorsport
Ferguson and Wenger were two of the longest-serving managers in the history of English soccer. Ferguson held his position at United for 9,704 days, while Wenger was Arsenal boss for 7,894 days.
Despite his time at Arsenal being five years shorter than Ferguson's at United, Wenger took charge of more Premier League games than the Scot - 828, compared to 810.
This is because the first five and a half years of Ferguson's reign at Old Trafford came before the Premier League era hag begun.
"It's an honour when you receive recognition like this," Ferguson told the Premier League website. "However, it's not just about me as a person.
"It's about the job at Manchester United and the bond we had over many years, so I'm also proud for the club, the staff and my players.
"My job was to send the fans home happy. United's history and my own expectations were the things that drove me."
Wenger said: "I'd like to be known as someone who loved Arsenal, who respected the values of the club and left it in a position where it can grow and become even bigger.
"To share this with Sir Alex is a great honour for me. It's like two boxers, you fight like mad and go the distance together.
"At the end of the day, you have respect and it will be a great opportunity to meet with him, share a good bottle of wine and memories of our old battles."
There are currently 16 individuals in the Premier League Hall of Fame based on their playing careers.
They are Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry, Eric Cantona, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Dennis Bergkamp, Steven Gerrard, David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, Patrick Vieira, Sergio Aguero, Didier Drogba, Vincent Kompany, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes and Ian Wright.
