One of the greatest names in football management is putting up his fine wine collection for sale in auctions expected to raise more than £3 million.

This publication finds it tough to keep pace with the sheer number of auctions held by houses such as Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Bonhams, but knowing that many of our readers are sports fans, we thought the following details too good to overlook.

Sir Alex Ferguson, the long-serving manager of Manchester United, who retired last year, and boasting the most successful managerial track record in British football history, is putting up his wine collection for auction. In total, the sales are expected to raise more than £3 million ($5.04 million). Starting in Hong Kong on 24 May, then moving to London on 5 June, and finishing up in an online sale from 9 to 23 June, a mouth-watering collection of wines are to be sold by Christie’s.

The collection includes rare wines featuring Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Burgundies and many Finest First Growth Bordeaux ranging from the 1986 to 2011 vintages. During those years, Sir Alex guided the Red Devils through the most celebrated chapter in their history, winning two European Cups, 12 Premier League titles, five FA Cup victories, four League Cup victories, the UEFA Cup Winner’s Cup, the UEFA Super Cup, the Inter-Continental Cup and the FIFA World Club Cup.

The Hong Kong auction features 257 lots, the London event will comprise 140 lots, and the online-only auction will be made up of 85 lots.

Alongside some of the wines in the Hong Kong and London auctions, Christie’s will also be offering select pieces of signed football memorabilia.

Football has come a long way from the times when a manager of a team even as renowned as Manchester United would be lucky to retire with a small pension and a decent home. And in its own way, this auction demonstrates why private banks have been courting sportsmen and women in recent years.

Your correspondent doesn’t know if Sir Alex’s successor, David Moyes, is a collector of the noble grape. After what has been a rocky first season, it might be premature to wonder whether Moyes is on course to amass anything like the sort of wine collection of his fellow Glaswegian. But with wine, so with sports, it is good to take the long view.