Sir Alex Ferguson pleaded today for the public to help the grief-stricken former schoolteacher he calls "my inspiration".
Elizabeth Thomson taught the Manchester United legend at the tough school he went to in Glasgow and became his favourite teacher, putting him on the road to success.
Now her husband Lindsay, 77, who suffers from Alzheimer's, has gone missing, and the Old Trafford boss is appealing for help in finding him.
Mr Thomson has now been missing for 10 days from a care home in Glasgow where he was staying temporarily. Despite a big police search, he has not been seen.
It is the couple's 50th wedding anniversary this weekend.
Sir Alex wrote in his autobiography that Mrs Thomson was his "inspiration" after she came to teach at the Glasgow primary school in the city's tough Govan district.
He told GMTV: "The way she looked after everyone in that class - she came to a school which had a terrible record at that time and changed the whole place around. She gave me that drive and encouragement to go for it.
"As the days have gone on, it has become more desperate and she is really very distressed now. This issue is very important to me."
Mrs Thomson said: "All I want is my husband back. Nothing else matters."