From snubbing a glass of wine and 'prettiest wife' jibes to 'cheat' accusations and squaring up at the 'Battle of the Buffet'… How the rivalry between Arsene Wenger and Alex Ferguson turned 'toxic' with Man United vs Arsenal games pure box office

Daily Mail | November 20, 2021

The summer of '99 and almost certainly the best days of Alex Ferguson's life as Manchester United celebrated their historic Treble.

Meanwhile at Highbury, a bruised Arsene Wenger and Arsenal figure out how to rebuild having come so close to denying United in the Premier League and FA Cup.

They look to Italy where a young French winger called Thierry Henry is struggling to adapt to life at Juventus. Henry, then 21, has contributed only three goals in 16 matches. It's not working out.

Sir Alex Ferguson (right) debates with Arsene Wenger (left) during a meeting of the two clubs at Highbury in 2004. The psychological battle between these two brilliant managers contributed to the ferocity of the two teams' rivalry on the pitch

There's no mistaking the delight on Ferguson's face after United equalised against Arsenal at Highbury in March 2004

Wenger decides to fling Henry a lifebelt, paying £11million to end his Juventus misery and duly converting him into one of the most prolific of all Premier League strikers.