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Sir Alex Ferguson is a legendary managers in the game's history. He is best known for his exploits during his near three decades in charge of Premier League giants Manchester United.
Ferguson transformed the club into a domestic and European behemoth. Under the legendary Scot, United became the first (and only) English team to win the continental treble (1998-99), and also won a record 13 Premier League titles.
The 80-year-old Scot managed several world-class players, especially goalscorers, during his illustrious managerial career. On that note, here's a look at the five players with the most goals under Sir Alex Ferguson:
Spoiler Alert: Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo hasn't made the top five despite playing under Ferguson for six seasons.
#5 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - 127 goals
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may have had a forgettable stint as United manager, culminating in an unceremonious sack after a series of indifferent results. Nevertheless, the Manchester United faithful will always have special pride of place for the baby-faced assassin.
Solskjaer walked into United folklore by netting a dramatic injury-time winner against Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final to confirm United's treble win.
The 48-year-old scored 127 goals during his eventful 11-year stint at Old Trafford, with 28 of these strikes coming from the bench, which earned him the moniker 'super sub'. No wonder the six-time Premier League winner has no qualms acknowledging the role Sir Alex Ferguson played in his career.
Ferguson once said about Solskjaer:
"He must be the best substitute ever. Very few players can do that and have the temperament to come on in the heat of the game and be so cool about things."
#4 Ruud van Nistelrooy - 150 goals
Ruud van Nistelrooy is one of the most lethal strikers to have graced the game since the turn of the century.
The Dutch centre-forward enjoyed a prolific five-season stint at Old Trafford in early 2000s. He scored exactly 150 goals across competitions, helping Ferguson's men win one Premier League and FA Cup title.
Nistelrooy only has fond memories of his stint at Old Trafford despite leaving the club in acrimonious circumstances after a bitter fall-out with Ferguson.
The Dutchman was frustrated with the emergence of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney. However, his infamous abuse of Alex Ferguson for not subbing him on in the 2006 League Cup final win against Wigan was the last straw that broke the camel's back.
Nistelrooy would later mend fences with Ferguson, telling the Scot what he hoped to hear over the years:
"I want to apologise for my behaviour in my last year at United."
#3 Paul Scholes - 152 goals
Paul Scholes is one of the best midfielders in the game's history. The Englishman is often hailed by Sir Alex Ferguson as one of the few world-class players he had the privilege of managing.
Scholes played the entirety of his nearly two-decade-long playing career under Ferguson, appearing over 700 times across competitions for Manchester United. He bagged a rich haul of 152 goals and 70 assists, and won a staggering 11 Premier League and two UEFA Champions League titles. Scholes also won 14 other titles at the club.
Incidentally, the Englishman called time on his playing career for a second time in what also turned out to be Ferguson's last season in charge of United (2012-13).
In his book 'Leading', Ferguson said about Scholes:
“I don't mean to demean or criticise any of the great or very good footballers who played for me during my 26-year career at United, but there were only four who were world class: Cantona, Giggs, Ronaldo and Scholes."
#2 Ryan Giggs - 164 goals
Ryan Giggs is one of the four world-class Sir Alex Ferguson talked about in his book, and for good reason.
The Welshman is widely regarded as one of the greatest one-club men in the history of the sport. During his 24-season stint at Old Trafford, Giggs accumulated nearly 950 appearances across competitions, with 923 of them coming under Ferguson.
He bagged a rich haul of 164 goals and a staggering 247 assists under the legendary Scot. Giggs won a plethora of titles, including a record 13 in the Premier League and two in the UEFA Champions League.
Ferguson once said about the Welsh winger:
"He seems to reach a new milestone every week. It's unique in the modern game, but I think it's more than that - I don't think it will ever be achieved again by anyone. What an incredible career."
#1 Wayne Rooney - 197 goals
Wayne Rooney was one of the crown jewels of Sir Alex Ferguson's star-studded Manchester United team.
Arriving at Old Trafford in early 2000s, Rooney blossomed into a world-class attacker under the able tutelage of the legendary Scot. The current Derby County manager scored 197 of his record 253 Manchester United goals under Ferguson.
Ferguson said that the Englishman would have thrived in any era:
"I always think that great players can play in any era; Bobby Charlton would have been a great player today and Wayne Rooney would have been a great player back then. Wayne came in as a first-team player right away, even though he was only 18, and he's gone on to play for Manchester United for 12 years, which is very difficult in the present day."
