Alex Ferguson autobiography becomes most pre-ordered book of all time

The former manager's memoir has overtaken Tony Blair's 'A Journey'

Sir Alex Ferguson during the launch of his autobiography in London (AP)

Alex Ferguson’s anticipated autobiography has become the most pre-ordered book of all time.

The former Manchester United manager’s tell-all account has beaten Tony Blair’s 2010 memoir A Journey into second place.

The 71-year-old’s memoir also overtook Morrissey’s recently released Autobiography to become the third most pre-ordered autobiography in Amazon’s 15 year history.

It is the retailer’s fastest-selling autobiography of all time, followed by Tony Blair’s A Journey, Morrissey’s Autobiography, Bradley Wiggins’ My Time and Chris Evans’ Memories of a Fruitcake.

The book gained publicity this week after Ferguson’s damning verdict on David Beckham was revealed.

In a series of claims, the 71-year-old accused the former Manchester United player of thinking “he was bigger than Sir Alex Ferguson”.

He also revealed he thought Beckham’s pursuit of fame affected him as a player. “The big problem for me…he fell in love with Victoria and that changed everything,” he said.

Xavier Garambois, vice president of EU retail at Amazon, said Ferguson’s book was the latest sporting memoir to prove popular with customers.

“Sporting autobiographies which reveal the gritty details of what goes on behind the dressing room door have proved extremely popular with customers over the years, especially those looking for Christmas presents for friends and family,” he said.