He was capped for Scotland seven times, playing at UEFA Euro 1992, but made himself unavailable for selection for the national team from 1997 due to a dispute with the Scottish Football Association (SFA).

[4] Ferguson's aggressive style of play resulted in a career total of nine red cards, as well as a three-month prison sentence following an on-field assault of Raith Rovers' John McStay in 1994.

Eight of those red cards were in the English Premier League, where he holds the joint record for dismissals alongside Patrick Vieira and Richard Dunne.

[10] During a match with Raith Rovers in April 1994, Ferguson headbutted the visitors' John McStay in the south-west corner of the Ibrox pitch.

[11] Referee Kenny Clark did not see the incident, but Ferguson was subsequently charged and found guilty of assault.

A persistent hernia problem caused him to be unavailable for large amounts of time, as did his prison sentence during the first half of the season.

Ferguson wrote a two-page goodbye letter in the club magazine to fans, stating his sadness at leaving and that he would never forget them.

[26] In 1999–2000, Ferguson scored in three rounds of the FA Cup as Newcastle beat Tottenham 6–1,[27] Sheffield United 4–1[28] and Tranmere Rovers 3–2,[29] before a semi-final elimination by Chelsea.

[31][32] Two days after signing, he played his first game in a 2–0 loss at Leeds United, coming on for Stephen Hughes after 56 minutes.

[33] On 23 August, on his return to Goodison Park, he scored twice in a 3–0 win over Charlton Athletic after coming on for Mark Hughes in the 67th minute.

[34] On 1 April 2002, Ferguson was sent off after 20 minutes for elbowing Bolton Wanderers' Kostas Konstantinidis in an off-the-ball incident in a 3–1 win for a struggling Everton side.

[35] In August 2003, Jamie Jackson of The Guardian called Ferguson "arguably the biggest waste of money of all", citing his high transfer fees and wages compared to his injury record and age.

[36] Ferguson was accused of racial abuse by Fulham's Luís Boa Morte after an FA Cup fourth round match in January 2004.

His confrontation with Paul Scharner and subsequent fracas with Pascal Chimbonda resulted in a seven-match ban and his eighth Premier League red card, equalling Patrick Vieira's record.

On 7 May 2006, against West Bromwich Albion at Goodison Park, Ferguson was named captain in the game that marked the end of his Everton career.

His 90th-minute penalty kick was saved by Tomasz Kuszczak, but he subsequently scored from the rebound, netting his final goal for the club.

He was selected for UEFA Euro 1992 in Sweden, making one substitute appearance against reigning champions the Netherlands on 12 June.

[41][43][44] Ferguson refused international selection after 1997, partly in protest against his treatment by the SFA after his conviction for assault on John McStay and in particular the imposition of a 12-game ban on top of his three-month prison sentence.

[46] Having spent five years in Mallorca following his retirement from playing, Ferguson contacted his former manager at Everton, David Moyes.

[56] He oversaw one game as caretaker, a 1–0 home loss to Aston Villa, before Frank Lampard was appointed as the new manager.

[58] On 26 January 2023, Ferguson was appointed head coach of League One side Forest Green Rovers, his first managerial role of his career.

"[60] Ferguson did not win a game as manager until 26 March when Forest Green beat second-placed Sheffield Wednesday 1–0.

[65] Returning to Scottish football after an absence of 29 years, his first game as manager of Inverness Caledonian Thistle was on 30 September, a 3–2 away win against Arbroath.