Ferguson offered ex-Man United defender £100,000 to end his career

When Alex Ferguson took over as Manchester United manager in 1986, he faced numerous challenges, one of which—surprisingly by today’s standards—was addressing a culture of alcohol consumption. Ferguson took a hardline approach with players who indulged excessively.

Details: Former Manchester United defender Paul McGrath was one such player. According to McGrath, in 1989 Ferguson offered him £100,000 to retire from football at the age of 29 as part of an effort to eliminate the drinking culture in the squad. McGrath, however, refused the money and instead joined Aston Villa.

Quote: "Sir Alex brought me into a room and simply said, 'We’d like you to stop playing football.' Just like that. He said they were prepared to give me £100,000 to quit football and go back to Ireland.

I thought about it because £100,000 was a lot of money back then. But I spoke to Kevin Moran and Bryan Robson and said I wanted to keep playing because I felt I still had something to achieve in football," McGrath shared in an interview with The Guardian.

Reminder: McGrath, a star central defender at the time, made 186 appearances for United—68 under Ferguson—scoring 14 goals before his departure to Aston Villa.