Mark Clattenburg, a well-known referee in the Premier League, often officiated high-profile matches involving Manchester United.
In 2016, Clattenburg became the first referee to oversee three major finals in one year: the FA Cup final featuring United and Crystal Palace, along with the Champions League and European Championship finals.
Throughout his career, Clattenburg handled 40 matches with Manchester United. Notably, he officiated Sir Alex Ferguson’s final game, which ended in a memorable 5-5 draw against West Bromwich Albion.
“I remember being the fourth official for his very last match,” Clattenburg shared in an interview.
“Standing there looking at that team, I thought: ‘How did you win the Premier League with this squad?’”
“I mean no disrespect to the players, but they weren’t the world-class talents he had before. Achieving what he did and leaving at the right moment was remarkable.”
“It’s interesting that if Sir Alex Ferguson were managing today, he might have been fired due to a poor start. He was given time to turn things around at the beginning of his United career.”
The squad in that final season included some aging players like Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra, along with Tom Cleverley, Ashley Young, and Jonny Evans in the starting lineup.
Clattenburg emphasized that when Ferguson began in 1986, he was allowed to take the time needed to create a successful team, which isn’t common nowadays.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s last match for Manchester United reaches a major milestone
Ferguson’s final game as manager was his 1,500th match in charge, concluding a significant era with a 5-5 score featuring goals from four different United players.
Shinji Kagawa, Alexander Buttner, Robin van Persie, and Javier Hernandez all scored, along with an own goal from Jonas Olsson for West Brom.
The 5-5 finish remains the only one of its kind in Premier League history.
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