3) Ruud van Nistelrooy – The Dutchmen is undoubtedly one of the best foreign players to have graced the Premier League (and there have been many such players over the years). He was one of Ferguson’s favourite players, and the manager even backed him during his injury-riddled 2004-05 season. However, it was one stray comment that led to him falling out with Fergie. After a bit of a training ground confrontation with Cristiano Ronaldo, he told the Portugese youngster to ‘go crying to your Daddy’ a.k.a Carlos Queiroz, United’s assistant manager. Fergie saw it as disrespectful to Ronaldo given that his biological father passed away earlier that season and eventually sold the Dutchman to Real Madrid.