It Was A Dagger In Sir Alex Ferguson’s Chest — Carlos Tevez

Former Manchester United striker Carlos Tevez has opened up about the moment he told then-manager Sir Alex Ferguson that he was leaving the club for city rivals Manchester City. Tevez was a hit at Old Trafford during his debut season, scoring 19 goals in all competitions as United clinched a league and Champions League double.

However, during his second year, things began to unravel as City’s owners began to make their move to sign him. In an interview, Tevez explained that Ferguson had initially told him that United were going to buy him, but then brought in Dimitar Berbatov instead and didn’t play him in the league.

Tevez then revealed that he informed Ferguson of his move to City the day before the 2009 Champions League final against Barcelona. United went on to lose the final 2-0, with Tevez coming off the bench in the second half. After the match, the Argentine striker wasted no time and revealed that he had already agreed to meet with Sheikh Mansour, City’s owner, in Abu Dhabi to finalize his move.

Reflecting on the situation, Tevez described the move as a “dagger” for Ferguson. His move to City was celebrated with the now infamous “Welcome to Manchester” billboard in Manchester city centre.

The move also sparked controversy, with United fans branding Tevez a traitor and City fans hailing him as a hero. Tevez went on to win two Premier League titles with City and became a cult hero at the club, while his relationship with Ferguson remained strained.

“I was on loan at United. Ferguson told me that they were going to buy me, then he brought Berbatov and he didn’t put me in the league,” Tevez said, via Roy Nemer.

“The day before the Champions League final vs. Barcelona, I told him I was going to Manchester City.”

“I had more or less agreed with the Sheikh that after the game, I would take a private plane, go with my family to Abu Dhabi to meet him, and to settle the contract with City. It was like a dagger for him [Alex Ferguson].”