Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson (L) and ex-Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger are inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame. /CFP
There are few tacticians more synonymous with the Premier League, the most-watched sports league in the world, than Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger.
The esteemed duo clinched 16 top flight titles between them while holding an intense rivalry over the years when taking charge of their respective football juggernauts, Manchester United and Arsenal.
Small wonder that Ferguson and Wenger became the first managers to be inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame on Tuesday.
Sir Alex Ferguson applauds the crowd after his 1,500th and final match in charge of the club following the match between West Bromwich Albion and Manchester United at The Hawthorns in West Bromwich, England, May 19, 2013. /CFP
Arguably the most successful manager in English football, Ferguson ended United's 26-year wait for domestic trophy when he guided the team to win the inaugural Premier League title in 1992/93.
The Scottish legend went on to lead the Red Devils through an unprecedented period of success, bagging a record 13 titles during his 27-year stay at Old Trafford before announcing his retirement in the summer of 2013 at the age of 71.
According to stats provider Opta, Ferguson is the only manager to win three in a row and won more games (528), while seeing his teams score more goals (1,627) than any other manager in Premier League history.
He was named manager of the season 11 times and collected the Manager of the Month award on 27 occasions.
Sir Alex Ferguson celebrates with the Premier League trophy following the match between Manchester United and Swansea City at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, May 12, 2013. /CFP
"It's an honor when you receive recognition like this," said Ferguson on his induction. "However, it's not just about me as a person. It's about the job at Manchester United and the bond we had over many years, so I'm also proud for the club, the staff and my players."
"My job was to send the fans home happy. United's history and my own expectations were the things that drove me, and I then had to try and develop all my players with the same expectations and make sure we could go out and achieve them."
Wenger, meanwhile, arrived at the Premier League as one of its first foreign managers in 1996. The Frenchman cultivated a free-slowing style of football during his 22-year spell in charge of Arsenal and utterly transformed the club as a progressive powerhouse.
Arsene Wenger celebrates Arsenal winning the Premier League after their match against Tottenham at White Hart Lane in London, England, April 25, 2004. /CFP
The 73-year-old won three Premier League titles with the Gunners and remains the only manager to go through a whole season unbeaten after overseeing Arsenal's "Invincibles" in 2003/04. He has managed a record 828 Premier League matches, including 476 wins and 199 draws.
"I am very grateful to have been selected for the Premier League Hall of Fame," said Wenger. "We always wanted to give something special to the fans and when you have players capable of remarkable things, the most important thing for me is the obligation of perfection."
"I'd like to be known as someone who loved Arsenal, who respected the values of the club and left it in a position where it can grow and become even bigger."
Sir Alex Ferguson (R) greets Arsene Wenger ahead of the Premier League match between Manchester United and Arsenal at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, April 29, 2018. /CFP
"To share this with Sir Alex is a great honor for me. It's like two boxers, you fight like mad and go the distance together. At the end of the day, you have respect and it will be a great opportunity to meet with him, share a good bottle of wine and memories of our old battles."
The Hall of Fame launched in 2021 with David Beckham, Dennis Bergkamp, Eric Cantona, Thierry Henry, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Alan Shearer the inaugural inductees.
This year's inductees will be formally honored at a ceremony in May.