As part of the Class of ’92 and a key player during Manchester United’s golden era under Sir Alex Ferguson, Nicky Butt’s footballing education surpassed many of his contemporaries.
On the pitch, he put that to good use, winning six Premier League titles, three FA Cups, a Champions League, and earning 39 England caps.
However, despite this formidable background, Butt admits the challenges he faced after ending his playing career were substantially different.
Butt on the Transition from Player to Boardroom
Butt returned to Manchester United in 2012 as a reserve team coach and later took over the club’s academy following Brian McClair's departure in February 2016, a role that required a notably different skill set.
“When I was academy manager at Manchester United, we had board meetings every six weeks,” Butt reflects. “Many would discuss player decisions, yet none of them had ever kicked a football before or had any experience in the sport.”
“You let it slide as a footballer because everyone has opinions. But when the financial discussions arise and I try to contribute, I often hear, ‘What are you f**king talking about? You haven’t got a clue, mate.’”
“I ended up with a chip on my shoulder because of that and decided, ‘Right, I’m going to do a CEO course.’ I undertook that course during the lockdown.”
During this time, Butt became involved with Salford City alongside his Class of ’92 colleagues and by the time he departed Manchester United in March 2021, he was prepared to implement his newfound skills.
“After completing the course, the owner of Salford, Peter Lim, approached me saying, ‘I want you to take on the CEO role here.’”
“When he asks you to do something, you must oblige, especially since he invests £7 million into the club annually. Thus, I became the CEO, though I hadn’t originally desired the position.”
The Good, The Bad & The Football with Scholes, Butt and McGuinness is a new weekly video podcast, available on all major podcast platforms and YouTube.
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