On 6th November, 1986, a man named Alex Chapman Ferguson took charge of a Manchester United side that was second from bottom (unbelievable, but true). Twenty four years later, he has won 11 league titles, 5 FA cups and 2 Champions League titles as manager of this club. And Manchester United is one of the best teams in Europe, and Ferguson still is as ambitious as ever. Here is my take on Ferguson’s best XI:
GoalKeeper: Peter Schmeichel
Certainly the best goalkeeper to have played for Manchester United, though Van Der Sar does come close. He was the captain of the team that won the treble, and he always led by example.
Right Back: Gary Neville
One of “Fergie’s Fledglings”. Certainly the best Right Back to have played for United and for England. He was an integral part of many of Ferguson’s title-winning sides. Equally good while defending or while going forward.
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Centre Backs: Gary Pallister and Steve Bruce
Many people will tend to disagree with me on this, but i think Pallister and Bruce formed the best centre-back pairing at United. Rio and Vidic are also great, but these two were slightly better i think.
Left Back: Denis Irwin
Another close-run thing between Evra and Irwin. Irwin was a very versatile player, and deadly with free-kicks. He loved going forward, and delivering those inch-perfect balls for the strikers.
Right Midfield: Cristiano Ronaldo
When Ferguson bought him, he was known as a “one-trick pony”, who was more interested in showboating. After the 2006 World Cup, he was hated by everyone in England because of the role he played in the Wayne Rooney sending off, but Ferguson and the United supporters showed faith in him, and boy, did he repay the faith. He transformed into the world’s best player, scoring goals at will, and formed a lethal partnership with Rooney. Eventually he was sold off to Real Madrid, but not before helping United win 3 Premier League crowns and a European Title.
Central (holding) Midfield: Roy Keane
The best captain United has had. Period. Played with a passion unparalleled, and was on the best “enforcers” in the game. His performance in the 99 Champions League semi-final against Juventus is still considered to be one of the best performances by a player in a United shirt.
Central Midfield: Paul Scholes
Zidane said he is the best midfielder England has ever produced. I tend to concur. His cross-field long balls to the wingers are brilliant, and one cannot help but marvel at his vision. He flourished in the 4-4-2 system Ferguson used, where he would just pick up the ball from the midfield and send it down to the wings almost immediately and accurately.
Left Midfield: Ryan Giggs
Can a United best XI ever be complete without this enigmatic Welshman? He has played and scored in each and every season of the Premier League, and is still going strong. In his youth, would tear apart defences with his pace and trickery, and has changed his game as he has become older.
Supporting Striker: Eric Cantona
Eric “The King” Cantona has to be Ferguson’s best buy. Bought only for a 1.2 million pounds in 1992, he was one of the biggest reasons for United’s dominance in the early-90s. Though he did get into a lot of trouble due to his temper (ref: the flying karate kick), the eccentric Frenchman was and expert in carving open defences with his magical touch, and his audacity.
Striker: Ruud Van Nistelro0y
The Dutch striker was bought in 2001, and was one of the most prolific scorers in all competitions during his time at United. He was brilliant in the box, and played the role of a target man and a finisher to perfection. He scored 150 goals in just 219 games at United, which just proves his finishing ability.
