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Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson is unarguably the greatest Premier League manager of all time. He built many great teams at Manchester United during his 26-year tenure with the club, winning the league title a record 13 times.
While his focus was primarily on the Manchester United academy and bringing out the best of talents, it isn't quite possible to build a world-beating side without major signings. Sir Alex brought in the best players from around the world to Manchester United, who helped the club win major honors.
In this article, we will look at the five signings made by Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United who had the biggest impact:
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#5 Peter Schmeichel
One of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, Peter Schmeichel joined Manchester United in 1991 from Denmark's Brondby for €750,000. Schmeichel's signing was later described as the "bargain of the century" by Sir Alex Ferguson:
“The signing, when it took place in August of 1991, was for a fee of £505,000, which made it one of the bargains of the century in football. During most of his time with us, a golden spell in our history that was to finish perfectly with the European Cup triumph in Barcelona, Peter Schmeichel was the best goalkeeper in the world."
In seven years with the Manchester-based club, Schmeichel won numerous accolades, including five Premier League titles, a Champions League, three FA Cups and a League Cup.
The goalkeeper played an integral role in keeping the score down to 1-0 in the 1998-99 Champions League final against Bayern Munich. Ultimately, United scored two goals in injury time to complete a historic treble. Schmeichel left the club after the 1998-99 season and it took Manchester United six years to fully replace him when they signed Edwin van der Sar in 2005.
#4 Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney joined Manchester United in 2004 as a teenage prodigy with the world at his feet and left the club in 2017 as their greatest goal-scorer. The €37 million that Manchester United paid for him was the highest transfer sum ever paid for a player below 20 years of age.
Rooney made an immediate impact at the club, scoring a Champions League hat-trick on his debut. He remained an integral part of the United side that dominated the Premier League in 2000s.
The Englishman, more often than not, played as a second striker and was even shunted back into midfield during his time with the club. However, he never quite failed to deliver.
In all, Rooney made 559 appearances for United, scoring 253 goals and assisting another 146. He won five Premier League titles, a Champions League, one FA Cup, four League Cups and was named Premier League player of the year for the 2009-10 season.
#3 Roy Keane
Legendary midfielder Roy Keane is third on our list of the greatest signings made by Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. The Irishman joined Manchester United from Nottingham Forest back in 1993 in a deal worth €8.50 million, a British record transfer fee back in the day.
Keane soon grew into an influential figure at the club and was appointed captain by Sir Alex Ferguson. His greatest achievement as captain was leading the club to a historic treble in the 1998-99 season, albeit missing the final against Bayern Munich.
Before leaving the club in 2006 for Celtic following a feud with Sir Alex, Keane made 471 appearances, the fourth-highest in the club's history. He won seven Premier League titles, a Champions League and four FA Cups in his 13-year stint with Manchester United.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo
One of the greatest players of all time, Cristiano Ronaldo's talent was first identified by Sir Alex Ferguson when the Portuguese was still a wiry winger playing for Sporting Lisbon. Manchester United signed Ronaldo in 2003 for a fee of €19 million, and he spent the next six years with the club, winning everything there is to win in English football.
Ronaldo played 292 matches under Sir Alex Ferguson, scoring 119 goals in his first stint with Manchester United. He won three Premier League titles, a Champions League, an FA Cup and two League Cups during that time. He also won the Ballon d'Or in 2008 for leading the club to the Champions League title that season.
Though Ronaldo grew into a goal-scoring behemoth at Real Madrid, it was at Manchester United and under Sir Alex's tutelage that the world first took note of him. He has now returned to the club for a second stint, joining the side on a two-year deal from Juventus earlier this summer.
#1 Eric Cantona
The greatest signing made by Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United has to be Eric Cantona. Cantona joined United in 1992, six years into Sir Alex's association with the club, during which Manchester United won just one League Cup. But his signing changed everything.
Manchester United won the league title in all but one of Cantona's five seasons with the club. United won two FA Cups during that time too. In all, the legendary forward scored 81 goals and provided 62 assists in 180 appearances for the club.
Sir Alex penned a heartfelt letter to the Frenchman when he abruptly decided to bring an end to his career shortly after winning the 1996-97 Premier League.
