Sir Alex Ferguson claims he only managed four world-class players in his glittering 26-year reign in charge of Manchester United.
During his tenure at United, Ferguson secured 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups, four League Cups, and two Champions League titles. He excelled at assembling exceptional teams, skillfully knowing when to transition players in and out.
Despite coaching many players considered among the best in the Premier League, Ferguson set very high standards for what constitutes world-class talent. In fact, he believes only Eric Cantona, Ryan Giggs, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Paul Scholes deserve that designation.
In his 2015 book *Leading: Learning from Life and My Years at Manchester United*, Ferguson noted, “The media often suggests we have a surplus of ‘world-class’ footballers. I don’t mean to belittle or criticize the great or very good players I worked with during my 26 years at United, but only four were truly world-class: Cantona, Giggs, Ronaldo, and Scholes. Among them, Cristiano was like a decoration on top of a Christmas tree.”
In his book, Ferguson somewhat contradicted himself by naming a player who would definitely be included in his all-time best XI. Despite managing numerous superstars, Ferguson highlighted the dependable and versatile Denis Irwin, who made 468 appearances for United and won seven Premier League titles.
Ferguson remarked, “Honestly, I would say Denis Irwin would be the one certainty to make the team. I rated him an eight out of ten.”
He recounted a specific instance: “At Highbury, Irwin made a poor pass back in the last minute, which allowed Dennis Bergkamp to score. After the game, the press commented on the mistake, and I said, ‘Well, one mistake in ten years isn’t bad.’ He was an exceptional player.”
