SNOOKER legend Ken Doherty once told Sir Alex Ferguson “go f*** yourself”.
The Irishman, now 54, stormed to the World Snooker Championship title in 1997.
Ken Doherty became world champion at The Crucible in 1997PA
Man Utd icon Sir Alex Ferguson rang Doherty to congratulate himTimes Newspapers Ltd
He claimed glory by beating Stephen Hendry 18-12 at The Crucible, but then put his foot in it as he celebrated.
Dublin star Doherty is a huge Manchester United fan.
But when he received a call from Sir Alex following his Crucible success, he thought his pals were on the wind-up.
After picking up the phone to the United icon, Doherty delivered an X-rated response.
Recounting the experience, he told the Mail: “The voice at the other end went, ‘Kenny, Alex Ferguson here, I know you are a big Manchester United fan, how about parading that trophy up at Old Trafford?’ and I told him to go f*** himself!
“I thought it was my mate joking! He goes, ‘Kenny, I’m not going to ask you twice, it’s Alex Ferguson’ and I said, ‘Sorry Mr Ferguson’.
“I went up the day they were picking up the Premiership trophy against West Ham. It was incredible. The roar I got walking out at Old Trafford was one of the most memorable days of my life.”
Doherty’s 1997 triumph saw him receive a hero’s welcome home with an open-top bus parade through Dublin — and a police chief even told him that crime stopped in the city for hours during the crucial frames.
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He continued: “I suppose May 5, 1997 is the day that defined my life really — wherever you go after that day you are referred to as the world champion.
“When I saw Alex Higgins win it in 1982, I knew I wanted to be a snooker player, and then there was Dennis Taylor also from Northern Ireland in 1985.
“So to emulate them and win it was a dream come true, and especially to beat Stephen in the final who was going for six in a row and hadn’t lost there for so long. That was the icing on the cake.
“The open-top bus was just unbelievable, that’s something you get for the Ireland football team or Olympic heroes — not snooker.
“But it had that impact.”
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