Sir Alex Ferguson hailed former rival coach Arsene Wenger as “an absolute legend” on a night the former Arsenal manager was honoured as a legend of football at the annual Nordoff Robbins charity award dinner in London. The celebrity dinner attended by a host of football legends, including Wenger's former players Thiery Henry, Ian Wright and Cesc Fabregas, celebrated the 69-year-old Frenchman for the glittering career he enjoyed as a football manager in England, France and Japan. At Arsenal Wenger won three Premier League titles, a record seven FA Cups and Community Shields and also enjoyed the status of being The Invincibles in 2004.

The Ferguson-Wenger rivalry achieved cult status in the 21st century with both managers taking their respective teams to unprecedented heights. United and Arsenal under Ferguson and Wenger dominated English football in the late 1990s and early 2000s with the United vs Arsenal clashes achieving the status of being the biggest match in English football. From the ‘Pizzagate’ incident to Roy Keane’s bust-up with Patrick Vieira in the tunnel, incidents such as these defined the rivalry both teams shared with each other.

Alex Ferguson Pays Tribute to Arsene Wenger

“The career you had as a manager at Arsenal was absolutely fantastic - an absolute legend,” said the former United manager talking about his once rival. “I loved the competition against you. We had some great times and it's wonderful you're getting this award tonight. So good luck, my blessing with you.”

Wenger was named a “Legend of Football” at the Nordoff Robbins charity award dinner, which celebrated his career. The Frenchman enjoyed a 21-year tenure with the North London club. Ferguson had also in the past been a recipient of the “Legends of Football” award. The awards started in 1996 and have since honoured the likes of Sir Kenny Dalglish, Alan Shearer, Eric Cantona, Mourinho, Ryan Giggs, Pele, David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 08, 2019 11:29 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).