Sir Alex Ferguson is arguably the greatest football manager of all time, with the Scot transforming Manchester United into one of the world’s biggest clubs.
In his 27 years in charge at Old Trafford, Ferguson couldn’t stop winning and worked with some iconic players. Bringing through the likes of David Beckham and Ryan Giggs from the Red Devils’ academy, Ferguson also signed superstar attackers Cristiano Ronaldo, Eric Cantona and Wayne Rooney.
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Sir Alex Ferguson’s Man Utd honours |
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|---|---|
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Trophy |
Years won |
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Premier League |
1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013 |
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Champions League |
1999, 2008 |
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FA Cup |
1990, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004 |
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League Cup |
1992, 2006, 2009, 2010 |
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FIFA Club World Cup |
2008 |
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UEFA Super Cup |
1991 |
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European Cup Winners’ Cup |
1991 |
|
Intercontinental Cup |
1999 |
|
Community Shield |
1990, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011 |
But who does a legendary manager like Ferguson have down as his greatest of all time? He gave five answers to that question, with some iconic names included, but no space for any of his former United icons.
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5
Johan Cruyff
Netherlands
Starting off Ferguson’s five GOAT’s is Johan Cruyff, who starred for Ajax, Barcelona and the Netherlands. The versatile forward created the ‘Cruyff turn’ still used to this day and transformed the way football was played in the 1960s and 1970s.
Cruyff won 10 league titles as a player, three European cups and three Ballon d’Or awards and would then go on to have a successful career as a manager.
4
Pele
Brazil
Goalscoring icon Pele holds the Guiness World Record with 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, which includes friendlies.
The Brazilian starred for Santos over 18 years but it was his displays on the World Cup stage in 1958, 1962 and 1970 that placed him among the greatest of all time.
Pele also loved Ferguson, saying: “Sir Alex, you were my idol as a coach and you are an example for future generations. Sir Alex, you are a legend and your achievements will hardly ever be surpassed.”
3
Diego Maradona
Argentina
Prior to the Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi era, it was the Pele and Diego Maradona era, with the duo actually sharing the prize of FIFA Player of the Century in 2000.
An attacking midfielder, Maradona would star in Europe during the 1980s, most notably for Napoli. His most memorable year came in 1986 when he helped Argentina win the World Cup, and he’d then take Napoli to two Serie A titles.
2
Ferenc Puskas
Hungary
Hungarian icon Ferenc Puskas starred for his country by scoring 84 goals in 85 games, and at club level, moved to Real Madrid at the age of 31, where he would continue to score for fun at the Bernabeu.
Following Puskas’ death in 2006, Ferguson said: “I was lucky to see Puskas play quite a few times. I have many memories of him. I was at the European Cup final in 1960 but I also saw him score the only goal against Rangers at Ibrox, before he got a hat-trick against them when Real scored six in the second leg.
“In his day he was a special player without question, part of that great period for Hungarian football. How they did not win the World Cup in 1954 is beyond me.”
1
Alfredo Di Stefano
Spain
The oldest player on the list is another forward in Alfredo Di Stefano, who ended up signing for Real Madrid instead of rivals Barcelona in 1953.
That would be a decision Barcelona would live to regret, with Di Stefano scoring 216 league goals in 282 games for Madrid. Although he also played for Argentina and Colombia, Di Stefano represented Spain.
Talking back in 2014, Ferguson was asked for his greatest ever players following Di Stefano’s passing, to which he said:
“The great question that always comes up is who are the greatest players. There is a list of great ones like Cruyff, Maradona and Pele and of course Puskas and Di Stefano – I thought he was one of the greatest in my mind.”
No room for Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi at the time, so it would be interesting to see if either make his list more than 10 years on.
