Manchester United manager, Alex Ferguson, became only the eighth football manager or player to receive a knighthood on Saturday.

Sir Alex was awarded the title in the Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to football.

The 57-year-old former Aberdeen and Scotland manager, who was also awarded the OBE in 1984, claimed the honour was for his family, friends and colleagues.

"I am delighted and honoured," he said. "I see this as an honour not just for me, but for the people who have supported me through my life and made me what I am.

"If my parents were still alive, they would be very proud.

"They gave me a good start in life, the values that have driven me, and the confidence to believe in myself."

Sir Alex, who claimed the FA, Premiership and European Cup trophies this season - a feat never before achieved by an English club - also thanked his players for their part in United's continuing success.

It is not just down to me, but to the players who have to deliver on the pitch, and to the people at Old Trafford, past and present, who have made it the greatest club in the world," he said.

"Above all, I want to thank my wife Cathy. She knows better than anyone the pressures of the job, and the demands they place upon me.

"She is the rock of stability in my life and I share this honour with her."

Praise floods in

Football legends and fans paid tribute to the United manager at the end of a season's achievements which may never be bettered by another British club.

The man behind United's historic treble now has even more to smile about

Ex-Old Trafford player Dennis Law said: "He's a great friend. I have known him for a long time. It's amazing what he has achieved at Aberdeen and now at Manchester United. But more importantly he's just a great guy."

Sir Tom Finney, who played 76 times for England and was knighted in the New Year's Honours List in January 1998, said: "I'm thrilled for him - I'm sure he is delighted. It's a great honour and well deserved.

"He has done a lot to football. They have achieved things that no one else has achieved, it only happens once in a lifetime."

'His success'

Lee Hodgkiss of the Manchester United Independent Supporters Club branded Sir Alex as the greatest manager of all time.

The United manager has become a legendary figure at Old Trafford

"We are all very pleased," Hodgkiss said. "I think it's deserved and in my opinion he stands alone as a football manager - and that's including all the managers who have gone before him.

"It's not just for the work he has done in Manchester but what he did in Scotland.

"The success of Manchester United is now purely down to him and the players.

"He is responsible for Manchester United not only being the greatest football team on the pitch but the biggest football club in the world."