Sir Alex Ferguson returns to Pittodrie this week for the unveiling of a bronze statue in tribute to his phenomenal success at Aberdeen.
But former Scotland captain Gary McAllister revealed how a joke about his “red face” led to a long-held grudge by the managerial legend.
Ferguson’s fiery temper led to more than a few fallouts with his rivals - and even some of his own players - during an illustrious career.
And one-time Rangers No. 2 McAllister told how the Old Trafford great refused to speak to him for 14 years after an off-air jibe was picked up by the then Manchester United gaffer.
McAllister was part of the Leeds United side that pipped the Red Devils to the Premier League title 30 years ago.
The Scot spent six seasons at Elland Road and helped the Yorkshire side to title glory during an enthralling campaign in 1991/92.
Their status as champions was secured when United lost to bitter rivals Liverpool at Anfield in the penultimate game of the season.
Leeds had beaten Sheffield United 3-2 the previous day and after United’s defeat McAllister, Lee Chapman, Eric Cantona and David Batty celebrated with a TV crew invited.
However, McAllister was mic’d up and connected to the studio at Anfield and made a quip which Ferguson hard.
The current assistant to Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa explained: “I could hear everything which was going on in the studio.
"Liverpool win 2-0 and Leeds United win the league, we're p****d. After the game, we're watching the pictures coming across and the interviews after the game and I can hear in my ear the director saying 'Get to the tunnel, we've got Fergie’.
“Milliseconds later he's up on the TV and Fergie comes on. His face is bright red. His first comments, as you can expect, were, 'I want to make it clear, Leeds haven't won the league. Manchester United have lost the league! I'm making it clear!'
"Nose very red, he says, 'Make no mistake, Leeds have not won the league! Manchester United have lost the league! We've thrown the league away.'
"So flippantly in Lee Chapman's living room, I say, 'Big red-face as gracious as ever in defeat.'
"Then Dennis Law came back in my ear and said, 'Gary, Fergie can hear you.'
“ Alex Ferguson has walked past me in Lithuanian airports and Albanian hotels for 20 years and never looked in my direction!”
But while Ferguson is known for ruling with an iron fist, he showed his compassionate side to end their feud when McAllister was hit by tragedy after the death of his wife Denise in 2006.
McAllister said: "This is the measure of the man. When you're competing against him, you're the enemy, but when I went through this tragic experience with cancer, who was the first person to call me? Alex Ferguson.
“He was the first person to make a phone call. He invited me to the training ground at Carrington. He said ‘You can come to training any day. You can come to Old Trafford to any game."
"The first mass card I got through the post was from his wife. You see this figure, when you're competing against him, he'll do anything to beat you.
"But there's a gentle side to Alex Ferguson and that's something I learned down the line. For 20 years, I did not exist!"
