Sir Alex Ferguson is arguably the greatest Premier League manager of all time and one of the best that European football has ever seen. But he didn’t get to the very top by being football’s nice guy.
The Scot was ruthless yet brilliant all at the same time, and that’s how his Manchester United side dominated the Premier League for over a decade.
Responsible for creating the so-called hairdryer treatment, Ferguson didn’t just instil fear into opposition players. He created discipline through his fear factor in a Manchester United dressing room full of some of the very best, even if at times that resulted in a stray boot flying across the room before leaving an unforgettable mark on David Beckham’s head.
Even United legend Wayne Rooney couldn’t escape Ferguson’s rule. He recalled how brutal a dressing down from his former manager felt in his 2012 autobiography ‘My Decade’, saying: “There’s nothing worse than getting the “hairdryer” from Sir Alex. When it happens, the manager stands in the middle of the room and loses it at me. He gets right up in my face and shouts.
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“It feels like I’ve put my head in front of a Babyliss Turbo Power 2200. It’s horrible. I don’t like getting shouted at by anyone. It’s hard for me to take, so sometimes I shout back. I tell him he’s wrong and I’m right.”
Whether some saw Ferguson’s fury as harsh or not, it got the job done. By the end of his managerial career, the former Manchester United boss went down as one of the most successful managers that English football has ever seen.
|
Sir Alex Ferguson at Man Utd |
Record (via Transfermarkt) |
|---|---|
|
Premier League titles |
13 |
|
Champions League titles |
2 |
|
FA Cups |
5 |
|
League Cups |
4 |
|
Club World Cup |
1 |
Despite winning everything there is to win and instilling a fear factor around the Premier League, however, there was one Chelsea star who did not fear Ferguson or his Manchester United side.
Sir Alex Ferguson: Zola was one of my toughest opponents
It’s a testament to how good he was that Ferguson named Gianfranco Zola as one of his toughest opponents despite squaring off against Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho and many others in an illustrious career. It’s praise that the Chelsea legend deserves, though. Unlike others, Ferguson admitted, the Italian didn’t fear him or his side.
“He annoyed me. He was one of those players who was unperturbed about who he was playing against. You always see a smile on his face, and that annoyed me.
“I said ‘how can he be enjoying himself playing against United?’. Nobody else does. But he was a fantastic player. I love watching him. He was an enjoyable player. For me to say that about an opponent tells how much I admire him.” (via The Independent)
Zola only managed to get the better of Ferguson three times throughout his career, but also scored three times against the Red Devils to remain a thorn in their side. Dubbed “fantastic” by the legendary manager, Zola will struggle to find higher praise.
