Sir Alex Ferguson won an unlikely European trophy, then fended off Arsenal and Tottenham before destroying his rivals with Man United.
Legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson owes former Aberdeen chairman Dick Donald a debt of gratitude.
Aberdeen It was the third stop in Ferguson managerial career after passing through Scottish clubs East Stirlingshire and St Mirren.
Indeed, Ferguson initially turned down the job at Aberdeen in 1977, only to take up the role a year later.
Ferguson didn't have to wait long for success for the Dons as they beat the likes of Celtic and Rangers to win the Scottish Premiership in his second season in charge.
But Ferguson's crowning moment with the Scottish club came in 1983 via the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup.
The tournament, which was abolished in 1999, pitted the winners of national cups from across Europe against each other.
Aberdeen qualified for the tournament thanks to their victory in the Scottish Cup in the 1981/82 season, when they beat Rangers 4-1 in the final.
The Scottish team forced the rest of the competition to take notice when they beat German giants Bayern Munich 3-2 on aggregate in the quarter-finals.
A victory over the now defunct Belgian team Waterschei Thor sealed a place against real Madrid in the final.
Despite not being the favorites, Ferguson's team achieved the surprise of a lifetime by beating Madrid 2-1 in extra time to win the European Cup Winners' Cup.
Ferguson also led Aberdeen to the UEFA Super Cup the following season, beating Hamburg in November 1983.
To date, those two victories remain Aberdeen's only success in Europe.
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To no one's surprise, clubs in England appreciated Ferguson's impressive achievements as manager of Aberdeen.
However, were it not for a conversation with then-Dons chairman Donald, Ferguson's career could have taken a drastically different path.
“I turned down Arsenal, I turned down Wolverhampton Wanderers and I turned down Tottenham,” Ferguson said. TNT Sports.
“I told (Aberdeen chairman Dick Donald) that maybe it was time for me to go, blah, blah, blah, and he said, 'Don't talk like that'. You should just go to one club. manchester united.
“I never moved until that came. When it happened, I couldn't get there fast enough.”
Despite the Red Devils' greatness, Ferguson revealed there was still a slight sense of hesitation when it came to taking on the role.
However, there was one key philosophy he was determined to introduce to United given how well it had served him in his two previous managerial stops.
“I have to say there was a lot of concern about it,” Ferguson said.
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“As I was traveling that morning, on the plane with Martin Edwards and lawyer Maurice Watkins, I was asking a lot of questions and not getting all the answers. Little Gordon Strachan used to call me quite a bit and I didn't get a great picture out of that.
“I knew all the players, world-class names in many ways. I was determined to install something I did at Aberdeen and St Mirren, and that was producing young players.”
As they say, the rest is history.
Ferguson took charge of United in November 1986 and managed more than 1,400 games for the Red Devils until his retirement in May 2013.
Under Ferguson, United won 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups and two Champions League titles to cement the club as the dominant force in English football.
But if it hadn't been for Donald's wise words, the decades of success at Old Trafford under Ferguson may never have happened.
The full episode of Ally's Social Club with Sir Alex Ferguson will be available to watch on TNT Sports youtube channel starting at noon on October 18 and broadcast on TNT Sports 1 at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, October 19.
