Duncan Ferguson has shared that his wife was concerned he might kill an intruder during a break-in at their home.
The event took place in 2001, while he was playing for Everton. The property – a renovated barn in Rufford, Lancashire – was invaded while he, his wife Janine and their young daughter were present.
Ferguson, who also played for Newcastle United, confronted the two trespassers, a tale which has only served to bolster his image as one of the most formidable figures in Premier League history. Discussing the incident on the latest episode of the Stick to Football podcast, sponsored by Sky Bet, the ex-forward delved into the details of the night.
"I think they were stoned or drunk, they must have been," he said, referring to the two men. "I'm on my couch at quarter to one in the morning just with my trackie bottoms on. No top on, trainers there [on the floor]. And I just heard something. I heard that again and heard that again.
"I was fit as a fiddle then, pumped up for the game. And I had a conservatory and I saw two shadows walking through the conservatory. My heart was pounding. I was thinking 'what do you do?' but obviously I was going to go forward wasn't I? Fight or flight isn't it? And mine is the fight one," reports the Liverpool Echo.
"I went forward and didn't give the boys a chance really, they never knew what hit them."
The Everton legend admitted that one of the burglars was "too quick" for him and managed to escape. However, the other experienced the full wrath of the former Scotland international, to such an extent that his wife felt compelled to intervene and ask him to end the assault.
"I filled him in," Ferguson revealed when queried about his actions. "To be fair I gave him a bad one. I was pumped up, what are you gonna do?".
He described the ensuing chaos: "My wife was upstairs with a three-month old baby. It's 1am in the morning, she's shouting out the window. She's hearing 'thud, thud, thud' and shouting 'you're going to f---ing kill him, stop!' But you've got the mist. Then you look down and think 'oh my God'.
"Then you've got two options, I can phone my mates, tell them to come and drag him away. I think that's not a good move. Or phone the police and get an ambulance at the same time, so that's what happened."
Reflecting on a later incident, he said: "And it happened to me again. I'm not going so long the second time, I was used to it. I was more professional."
The intruders who broke into his property ultimately faced justice, receiving a 15-month custodial sentence. One of the perpetrators had to spend three days in hospital due to the wounds obtained courtesy of Ferguson.
Following these events, the footballer sold his residence and relocated to Formby, only to experience another intrusion attempt a couple of years subsequently.
Ferguson infamously had a showdown with Ruud Gullit while at Newcastle United. The Scot - along with Alan Shearer - had been dropped for the Tyne-Wear derby against Sunderland, which was Gullit's last game as manager. Ferguson confronted the Dutchman in his office the following morning and according to Shearer, was 'screaming' at him when he arrived for his own talks.
