Gary McAllister is very much considered a legend at Leeds United for the role he played for the club between 1990 and 1996.
The Scottish midfielder was an ever-present in the squad throughout his time in West Yorkshire and remains a favourite at Elland Road.
He subsequently left to sign for Coventry from whom he eventually joined Liverpool. His time with Leeds and then with the Reds didn’t make him particularly popular at Old Trafford.
It was during his time with the Whites where McAllister fell out with Sir Alex Ferguson, a feud that the legendary Manchester United manager was unwilling to settle for 14 years.
The issue arose when Leeds won the first division in 1992, the last of its kind before the inaugural Premier League campaign.
The title was ultimately decided after Howard Wilkinson’s side beat Sheffield United 3-2, a result which left Manchester United having to win by two goals at Anfield.
Liverpool won the match 2-0 thanks to goals from Ian Rush and Mark Walters, handing Leeds their last top-flight title to date.
Unbeknown to him, McAllister would make a comment following the match, at Lee Chapman’s house, that would cause a massive rift between him and his fellow Scotsman lasting the duration of his playing career.
"It wouldn't happen today, everyone kicks off simultaneously, but because we were playing Sheffield United, the game was at 12.30pm,” he recalled in 2017 when speaking to fans in association with Sport & Fitness Middle East.
“Leeds beat Sheffield United which meant Man Utd had to go to Anfield and win by two, which was never going to happen!
“We all went back to Chappy’s house after the game in Sheffield to watch Man U play Liverpool at Anfield. Because I’d done some TV work, I was tuned in to the director at Anfield so I could hear the director and all his comments, talking to the presenter, talking to the cameramen. 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!”
While the pair weren’t on speaking terms for so many years, Ferguson was quick to bury the hatchet to reach out to McAllister at a time of need.
He was the first man to reach out to the former Leeds midfielder when his wife, Denise, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006.
“This is the measure of the man,” said McAllister. “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!”
