A lot can change in the blink of an eye in football, let alone after a whole decade, and few would have predicted the plight of United following his retirement.
Ferguson left Old Trafford with the club in great shape - going out on a high with his final league title - with his final game being a 5-5 draw against West Brom.
The Red Devils have been through six permanent managers since, and have yet to win another Premier League title.
Here, Flashscore take a look at the United starting XI from that match and examine what happened next for each of the players.
GK - Anders Lindegaard
The goalkeeper was never first choice in Manchester but always provided capable cover for those ahead of him.
Lindegaard would remain with United for two years following Ferguson's departure, before actually joining West Brom in 2015.
Stints at Preston and Burnley followed until he signed for Swedish club Helsinborg - where he would retire in January 2023.
DEF - Antonio Valencia
Valencia is another who rarely nailed down a starting berth at United but was given a chance in the final game of the 2012/13 season.
The fullback was always reliable, though, and is still well-thought of among supporters after staying at the club until 2019 since arriving in 2009.
Following his 10 years in Manchester, the Ecuadorian signed for home club LDU Quito and then Mexican team Queretaro FC before hanging up his boots in 2021.
DEF - Jonny Evans
Old Trafford was Evans' home after graduating through the academy in 2006 and the defender would stay on for two more years beyond Ferguson's retirement before leaving for West Brom in 2015.
His impressive form with the Baggies lead him to joining Leicester City three years later, where he would win an FA Cup.
The defender has been slightly underrated for the majority of his career and always brings a calming influence whenever he plays.
His absence through injury for major parts of this campaign has shown, with the Foxes on the verge of relegation to the Championship.
DEF - Phil Jones
Jones is the only player from those who started to still remain at the club, although he has been hampered by injuries for the best part of the last decade.
He is still liked by the majority of United fans despite his disappointing time at the club.
Unfortunately for Jones, now aged 31, his contract is up this summer and it looks like he will finally be moving on and looking for a new home.
DEF - Alex Buttner
Perhaps the most unrecognisable name in the team (although he did score in the match), Buttner only made 28 appearances for the Red Devils and was moved on just a year after Ferguson's retirement.
The Dutchman failed to really find somewhere to call home in the decade that followed and would turn out for the likes of Anderlecht, Dinamo Moscow and Vitesse.
He now plies his trade in the second tier of Dutch football with De Graafschap, enjoying a successful season with four goals and nine assists.
MID - Anderson
Once one of the most promising players in the world, Anderson lost his way after being named the European Golden Boy winner in 2008 (best young player in the world).
Unfortunately for the Brazilian, he never fulfilled his potential at United and was eventually moved on in 2015.
He returned to his home country where he would spend three years with Internacional before ending his career in Turkey with Adana Demirspor.
MID - Michael Carrick
One of the most underrated players of his generation, Carrick spent the majority of his career at United and won every trophy available to win.
After arriving in 2006, the midfielder spent the next 12 years in Manchester and was always a reliable figure whenever called upon.
Carrick retired following an outstanding 464 appearances for the Red Devils and has since gone into management, where he guided Middlesbrough to a fourth placed finish in the Championship.
MID - Tom Cleverley
Cleverley partnered Carrick in midfield and was aged just 23 at the time, with plenty of supporters hoping he would go on to cement his place in the United side for years to come.
Unfortunately for the England international his time at Old Trafford didn't quite go to plan and he was eventually sold to Everton in the hopes of getting his career back on track.
Again he would find himself out of favour and, after less than two years, was moved on to Watford where he still plays, having made 181 appearances.
MID - Shinji Kagawa
The first of three attackers to score in the 5-5 draw against West Brom, Kagawa had a difficult spell at United.
He initially arrived with a lot of promise from Borussia Dortmund, but was sold back to the German giants after just two seasons in England.
Kagawa enjoyed a successful second spell with Dortmund - winning the German Cup - before he was allowed to leave in 2019.
The remainder of his career was spent bouncing around some of the lower leagues in Europe before he returned to Japan in February 2023 with Cerezo Osaka.
FWD - Robin van Persie
Undoubtedly the best player to feature in Ferguson's final game, van Persie played under the managerial legend for just one season - and produced one of the best campaigns of his career.
The goal on the final day was his 26th in the league that season as he propelled United to a 13th Premier League trophy.
Van Persie remained at Old Trafford for another two years (where he only managed 22 goals across both campaigns) before moving to Fenerbache in Turkey.
He would end his career at Feyenoord, where he remains today as manager of their youth team.
FWD - Javier Hernandez
The final player to start in Ferguson's final game was Hernandez, better known as 'Chicharito'.
Hernandez, like a few of the players already covered, was never a regular starter for United but often had an impact form the bench and was always reliable when called upon.
Having arrived from Chivas in 2010, the Mexican spent four years in Manchester before moving on first to Real Madrid on loan and then permanently to Bayer Leverkusen.
Brief stints with West Ham and Sevilla followed but he now finds himself in the MLS with LA Galaxy.
