In a week when Sir Alex Ferguson has been called an outstanding role model, Dubai Sports City is delighted to announce an exclusive interview with the Manchester United manager.
“Like anything in life, if you want something bad enough, then it is just a case of hard work and sacrifice that will get you to the top,” Sir Alex tells Update: Dubai Sports City.
The interview was conducted just days before Manchester United clinched a ninth record-breaking win of the English Premier League, establishing a clear lead over erstwhile favorites Chelsea with several games remaining. It was published on the eve of a mouth-watering F.A. Cup clash between Ferguson’s exciting squad and rivals Chelsea at a new Wembley Stadium, London, reputedly the home of football.
In the interview, Ferguson casts an eye across his long career, going right back to life as a youngster battling to watch Glasgow Rangers. He recalls the shaky starts to his managerial spells in Scotland and England, while looking ahead to the future, embodied in such players as Cristiano Ronaldo, recently compared to Pelé.
Among the players singled out for special praise in the interview are Brian Robson, Roy Keane and Ryan Giggs. Ferguson also takes the opportunity to assess Dubai’s sporting prospects.
He describes Dubai – already home to the first purpose-built Manchester United Soccer Schools in the world – as progressive, growing all the time and unwilling to accept second best.
“We are delighted to have secured an interview with Sir Alex,” said Tom Urquhart, editor of Update: Dubai Sports City. “He is a living legend and a huge supporter of football development in Dubai,” he added.
Dubai Sports City will be the first purpose-built athletic metropolis in the world, combining sports, business, retail and residential facilities as the cornerstone of the prestigious Dubailand project.
Malcolm Thorpe, Marketing Director, Sports Business, Dubai Sports City said: “It is only fitting that our premium publications such as Update draw upon the insights and opinions of leading figures from the world of sport.”
Update: Dubai Sports City is a quarterly magazine published by The Media Factory for Dubai Sports City, and one of the many benefits available to the city’s prospective residents. The latest issue is available here: http://www.dubaisportscity.ae/wp-content/files/File/DSC_Update04.pdf
About Dubai Sports City:
Dubai Sports City (DSC), the cornerstone project of Dubailand, is a $3 billion, 50 million square feet mixed use metropolis which will be the world’s first integrated purpose-built sports city.
The development will be centred around four magnificent stadia:
• a 60,000 capacity multi-purpose outdoor stadium for football, rugby, track and field and other sports and non-sports events
• a 10,000 seat multi-purpose indoor arena suitable for all hard court sports as well as concerts and other events and also including a removable ice rink
• a 25,000 capacity dedicated cricket stadium
• a 5,000 seat field hockey stadium
In addition to the stadia, Dubai Sports City will feature a series of major sports academy facilities including:
• the first purpose-built Manchester United Soccer Schools anywhere in the world
• a David Lloyd Tennis Academy
• a Butch Harmon School of Golf, the first such facility outside the United States
• the International Cricket Council’s own ICC Global Cricket Academy
• top class multi-sport training facilities including gymnasium and a 50 metre swimming pool
• the WorldHockey Academy, a first of its kind partnership with the International Hockey Federation
• a world renowned sports rehabilitation centre
