Another two league titles and League Cups

Although the team had a slow start to the 2008–09 season, United won the Premier League with a game to spare, making Ferguson the first manager in the history of English football to win the Premier League three times consecutively, on two separate occasions. Ferguson had now won 11 league titles at Manchester United, and the 2008–09 season title success put them level with Liverpool as league champions on a record 18 occasions in total. They also won the Football League Cup on penalties after a goalless Wembley draw with Tottenham Hotspur.
They contested the 2009 Champions League final against FC Barcelona on 27 May 2009 but lost 2–0.
After the presentation ceremony, Ferguson conceded that he would stay on at United for as long as his health permitted him and that he would be glad to win the league title once more. This would make United's total league wins one more than rivals Liverpool, becoming the outright leader in total wins.
In 2009–10, Ferguson added another Football League Cup to his honours list as United defeated Aston Villa 2–1 in the Wembley final on 28 February 2010. However, his dreams of a third European Cup were ended a few weeks later when United were edged out of the competition in the quarter-finals by Bayern Munich on away goals. And their hopes of a record 19th league title were ended on the last day of the season when Chelsea beat them to the Premier League title, crushing Wigan Athletic 8–0 and rendering United's 4–0 win over Stoke City meaningless. Around this time, several newspapers carried reports that Ferguson was due to retire at the end of the 2010–11 season, but he denied these rumours and insisted that he wants to go out on a high and will not retire during a time of struggle.
On 8 August 2010, Ferguson added another FA Community Shield to his honours list as United defeated Chelsea 3–1 in the final in Wembley. On 19 December 2010, Ferguson became Manchester United's longest serving manager in history, overtaking Matt Busby's record of 24 years, 1-month and 13 days in charge of the club. He ended the season by winning his 12th and Manchester United's 19th league title and thus overtaking Liverpool's record of 18. Manchester United faced Barcelona again on 28 May 2011 in the 2011 UEFA Champions League Final, their third in four years, but United lost 3–1. Analyst Alan Hansen stated that he believed Ferguson was "the key component" in United's success that season, so key in fact that "[he] would have claimed the crown with any of the other top sides had he been in charge of them".With Edwin van der Sar, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes all retiring in 2011, Ferguson spent big by signing defender Phil Jones from Blackburn Rovers and winger Ashley Young from Aston Villa for around £17 million each, and goalkeeper David de Gea from Atlético Madrid for around £19 million.

On 2 September 2012, Ferguson managed his 1000th league game with United against Southampton. Two weeks later, he won his 100th game in the Champions League with a 1–0 win over Galatasaray at Old Trafford.

Second European Champions League

In 2006, Michael Carrick was signed as a replacement for Roy Keane for £14 million, although the figure may eventually rise in the future[needs update] to £18.6 million depending on appearances and results. United started the season well, and for the first time ever won their first four Premier League games. They set the early pace in the Premier League and never relinquished top spot from the tenth match of the 38–game season. The January 2006 signings had a huge impact on United's performances; Patrice Evra and Nemanja Vidić came in to form a solid back line along with already existing players Rio Ferdinand and skipper Gary Neville. The signing of Michael Carrick, which was questioned and criticised by a large portion of the media, brought stability and further creativity in the United midfield, forming an effective partnership with Paul Scholes. Park Ji-Sung and Ryan Giggs both underlined their value to the first team squad by adding significant pace and incisiveness in attack with Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ferguson celebrated the 20th anniversary of his appointment as manager of Manchester United on 6 November 2006. Tributes also came from Ferguson's players, both past and present, as well as his old foe, Arsène Wenger, his old captain, Roy Keane, and current players. The party was spoiled the following day when United endured a single-goal defeat at the hands of Southend in the fourth round of the League Cup. However, on 1 December it was announced that Manchester United had signed 35-year old Henrik Larsson on loan, a player that Ferguson had admired for many years, and attempted to capture previously. On 23 December 2006, Cristiano Ronaldo scored the club's 2000th goal under the helm of Ferguson in a match against Aston Villa.
Manchester United subsequently won their ninth Premier League title but were denied a unique fourth double by Chelsea's Didier Drogba scoring a late goal in the FA Cup Final at Wembley. In the Champions League, the club reached the semi-finals, recording a 7–1 home win over Roma in the quarter-final second leg, but lost at the San Siro to Milan 3–0 in the second leg of the semi-final after being 3–2 up from the first leg. Still, it was a strong sign that United were on their way back to dominance after a couple of years of being overshadowed by Arsenal and more particularly Chelsea.[citation needed]
For the 2007–08 season, Ferguson made notable signings to reinforce United's first team. Long-term target Owen Hargreaves joined from Bayern Munich, bringing an end to a year of negotiations. Ferguson further bolstered the midfield with the additions of young Portuguese winger Nani and Brazilian playmaker Anderson. The last summer signing was of West Ham United and Argentina striker Carlos Tévez after a complex and protracted transfer saga. United had its worst start to a season under Ferguson, drawing their first two league games before suffering a 1–0 defeat to local rivals Manchester City. However, United recovered and began a tight race with Arsenal for the title. After a good run of form, Ferguson claimed that throughout his time at Manchester United, this was the best squad he had managed to assemble thus far.
On 16 February 2008, United beat Arsenal 4–0 in an FA Cup Fifth Round match at Old Trafford, but were knocked out by eventual winners Portsmouth (a mid table side in the league) in the quarter final on 8 March, losing 1–0 at home. United having had a penalty claim turned down, Ferguson alleged after the game that Keith Hackett, general manager of the Professional Game Match Officials Board, was "not doing his job properly". Ferguson was subsequently charged by the FA with improper conduct, which he decided to contest. This was the second charge Ferguson faced in the season, following his complaints against the referee after United lost 1–0 at Bolton Wanderers – a charge he decided not to contest.
On 11 May 2008, Ferguson led Manchester United to a tenth Premier League title, exactly 25 years to the day after he led Aberdeen to European glory against Real Madrid in the European Cup Winners' Cup. Nearest rivals Chelsea – level on points going into the final round of matches, but with an inferior goal difference – could only draw 1–1 at home to Bolton, finishing two points adrift of the champions. United's title win was sealed with a 2–0 win over Wigan Athletic, managed by former United captain Steve Bruce.
On 21 May 2008, Ferguson won his second European Cup with Manchester United as they beat Chelsea 6–5 on penalties in the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, following a 1–1 draw after extra time in the first ever all-English UEFA Champions League Final. A penalty miss from Cristiano Ronaldo meant that John Terry's spot-kick would have given the trophy to Chelsea if successfully converted, but Terry blew his chance of glory and in the end it was Edwin van der Sar's blocking of a Nicolas Anelka penalty which gave the trophy to Manchester United for the second time under Ferguson and for the third time overall. After winning the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League Ferguson had stated that his intention to leave Manchester United within the next three years, meaning that he would be gone by the summer of 2011.
Manchester United chief executive David Gill moved quickly to calm the speculation about Ferguson's pending retirement.

2002–2005 :Rebuilding and Transition

The close season saw Manchester United break the British transfer record yet again when they paid Leeds United £30million for 24-year-old central defender Rio Ferdinand.
That summer, Ferguson brought in Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz as his
assistant.
Manchester United won their eighth Premier League title yet just over two months before the end of the season they were eight points behind leaders Arsenal. But an improvement in form for United, and a decline for Arsenal, saw the Premier League trophy gradually slip out of the Londoners' grasp and push it back in the direction of Old Trafford. Ferguson described the 2002–03 title triumph as his most satisfying ever, due to the nature of a remarkable comeback. The excellent run-in had produced 10 wins and a draw (including 4–0 home win over Liverpool and a 6–2 away demolition of Newcastle United) from the final 11 games, and no defeats since Boxing Day. Much was made in the press of Ferguson's successful 'mind games' with Wenger in winning the title.
Ferguson guided Manchester United to their eleventh FA Cup at the end of the 2003–04 season, but it was a disappointing season which had seen them finish third in the Premier League (which was won by an undefeated Arsenal side) and suffer Champions League elimination at the hands of eventual winners FC Porto. Rio Ferdinand missed the final four months of the season, as he served the beginning of an eight-month ban for missing a drugs test. New signings like Eric Djemba-Djemba and José Kléberson were disappointing, United tried to sign Ronaldinho and Fergie believed the deal was as good as done before Peter Kenyon caused it to fall apart, but there was at least one productive signing in teenage Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo. Striker Louis Saha, added in January, also proved to be reasonably successful covering for the injured Ole Gunnar Solskjær in attack.
At the beginning of the 2004–05 season, teenage striker Wayne Rooney (the world's most expensive teenager at more than £20million) and Argentine defender Gabriel Heinze joined United while Cristiano Ronaldo continued where he had left off the previous season by putting in more match-winning performances. But the lack of a striker after van Nistelrooy spent most of the season injured saw the club finish third for the third time in four seasons. In the FA Cup they lost on penalties to Arsenal. A second round exit from the European Cup at the hands of AC Milan and a semi-final exit from the League Cup at the hands of eventual winners Chelsea (who also clinched the Premier League title) meant that 2004–05 was a rare instance of a trophyless season for United.
Ferguson's preparations for the season were disrupted by a high-profile dispute with major shareholder John Magnier, over the ownership of the racehorse Rock of Gibraltar. When Magnier and business partner J. P. McManus agreed to sell their shares to American business tycoon Malcolm Glazer, it cleared the way for Glazer to acquire full control of the club. This sparked violent protests from United fans, and disrupted Ferguson's plans to strengthen the team in the transfer market. In spite of this, United looked to solve their goalkeeping and midfield problems. For this, they signed the Dutch keeper Edwin van der Sar from Fulham and Korean star Park Ji-Sung from PSV.
The season was one of transition. On 18 November, Roy Keane officially left the club, his contract ended by mutual consent. United failed to qualify for the knock-out phase of the UEFA Champions' League. In the January transfer window Serbian defender Nemanja Vidić and French full-back Patrice Evra were signed, and the side finished in second place in the league, behind runaway leaders Chelsea. Winning the League Cup was a consolation prize for lack of success elsewhere. Ruud van Nistelrooy's future at Old Trafford seemed to be in doubt after not starting in the League Cup final, and he departed at the end of the season.

1999–2002 :Title Hat-trick,Retirement Plan

Schmeichel's decision to leave United after eight seasons prompted Ferguson to bring in replacements: Mark Bosnich from Aston Villa and Italian Massimo Taibi. The latter featured in four matches, the last of which a 5–0 defeat at Chelsea in October 1999; he was not selected again by Ferguson. United ended the 1999–2000 league season as champions, with just three defeats and a record points margain of 18. In the mid-season, the club beat Palmeiras in Tokyo to win the Intercontinental Cup, but exited with apathy at the Club World Championship.United failed to retain the Champions League, out in the quarter-final stage to eventual winners Real Madrid. Ferguson sought to strengthen his squad and monitored the progress of Ruud van Nistelrooy, who he described as "a striker of the highest calibre". He met the player and his agent in Manchester to discuss formalities and was informed of Van Nistelrooy's knee injury. Ferguson recalled from past experience that he was not "terribly perturbed" and pushed ahead with the transfer. Van Nistelrooy however failed his medical, at which point Ferguson spoke with him, "emphasising that we might yet find a way out of the nightmare." The deal was resurrected a year later, for a British record transfer fee of £19 million. To solve the ongoing goalkeeping problem at United, French goalkeeper Fabien Barthez was signed from Monaco for £7.8million.
In the 2000–01 season, United retained the league title for a third season and became only the fourth side in history to do so. The achievement was overshadowed by reports of a rift between the board and Ferguson regarding his future at the club. Ferguson told MUTV in May 2001 that he was prepared to sever all ties with the club once his contract ended the following year: "The decision has been taken. I'm going to leave the club. I'm disappointed with what has happened because I was hoping something would be sorted out. It hasn't happened as I thought it would and that's all there is to it." However weeks after, both parties reached a compromise, which pleased Ferguson: "I am delighted we've settled this. When you have been at the club as long as I have it gets in your blood."
United were active in the transfer window once more and signed midfielder Juan Sebastián Verón from Lazio for a reported £28.1 million. Ferguson was interested in bringing both Patrick Vieira and Sol Campbell to the club, who both later committed to Arsenal. Before the 2001–02 season had begun, McClaren left to become Middlesbrough manager; Jimmy Ryan was named assistant to Ferguson for the duration of the campaign. In August 2001, United sold Stam to Lazio for £16 million. The transfer was said to have been instigated because of claims made in the player's autobiography Head to Head. Stam suggested that Ferguson illegally contacted about a move to Manchester United, before informing his club PSV. Ferguson commented that the club needed to recoup the big money spent in the summer; Stam therefore left to balance the "massive wage bill". Ferguson replaced the defender with Laurent Blanc, a long sought after target. In an interview with Alistair Campbell eight years after, Ferguson described his biggest mistake at the club was "letting go of Jaap Stam. No question." United endured a poor first half to the season, whereby they languished in ninth position after a home defeat to West Ham United in December 2001. In spite of putting together a run of eight successive wins during the winter period to move up in the table – this coincided with Ferguson's decision to remain at the club until 2005 – United finished third, behind champions Arsenal and Liverpool. United were also unsuccessful in Europe and lost their Champions League semi-final on away goals to Bayer Leverkusen, Early exits from the League Cup and FA Cup meant that the season ended trophyless. Ferguson himself admitted that the decision to pre-announce his retirement had resulted in a negative effect on the players and on his ability to impose discipline.

1998–99 :Treble Success

The 1998–99 season saw United complete an unprecedented treble sweep of trophies: the league, FA Cup and Champions League. The success coincided with the club becoming the world's richest and most valuable sporting brand worldwide.United were at the centre of a takeover bid from BSkyB in September 1998, which incited supporters. Ferguson refused to be drawn over the controversy of the deal; he nevertheless praised the company for their work in football. The government later referred the deal to the Mergers Commission, which was blocked in April 1999. On the pitch, United made a steady start in all competitions and lost for the final time in the season against Middlesbrough in December 1998, where Ferguson was absent on bereavement leave. Their route to the 1999 FA Cup Final, which they won 2–0 against Newcastle United, mostly involved ties against fellow league clubs. In the semi-final replay against cup holders Arsenal, Keane was sent off and United conceded a penalty late into the match; but Dennis Bergkamp's effort was saved by Schmeichel. Giggs in extra time ran the length of the pitch and scored what The Times reporter Oliver Holt described as "a goal of breathtaking skill". In the league, United regained the title after a closely fought challenge from Arsenal.

After finishing second in their Champions League group – behind Bayern Munich and ahead of Barcelona – and knocking-out Inter Milan in the quarter-final stage, United faced Juventus in the last four. An injury time goal scored by Giggs in the first leg earned the team a 1–1 draw, but in spite of conceding an away goal, Ferguson was adamant of United's chances of reaching the final: "...something tells me we are going to win. The nature of our club is that we torture ourselves so much that the only way to get relief is by winning over there. It will be a great game and hopefully I am right."At the Stadio delle Alpi, striker Filippo Inzaghi scored twice to put Juventus 3–1 up on aggregate. Keane headed in a Beckham cross to halve the deficit, but was later shown a yellow card for a foul on Edgar Davids, which prevented him from playing in the final. Yorke equalised, before Cole added a third to win the match outright. Ferguson described his captain's performance as "the most emphatic display of selflessness ... he inspired all around him. I felt it was an honour to be associated with such a player". In Barcelona, where the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final was staged against Bayern Munich, United conceded inside six minutes, through Mario Basler's free kick. Sheringham equalised from a corner late into the match and Solskjær in added time scored the winner, from another set piece. When interviewed moments after the match, Ferguson said:

(I can't believe it. I can't believe it. Football, bloody hell. But they never gave in and that's what won it.)

Ferguson and Schmeichel, the stand-in captain, jointly lifted the cup during the trophy presentation. A crowd of over 500,000 people turned out on the streets of Manchester to greet the players, who paraded through the city in an open-top bus. As European champions, United were invited to play in the Intercontinental Cup. The club also entered the inauguralClub World Championship, which was held in Brazil. Given the possibility of a hectic fixture schedule, United withdrew from the FA Cup, becoming the first holders to do so. In later years, Ferguson cited the decision had to do with England's failed 2006 FIFA World Cup bid, and he expressed regret in how the club dealt with the situation.