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#3 Sir Alex Ferguson- Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
One of the greatest players of all time, Cristiano Ronaldo made his name at Manchester United under the management of Sir Alex Ferguson.
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Ronaldo was bought from Sporting CP in 2003 for a fee of £12 million, amid interest from several other European clubs. The Portuguese was a raw prospect at the time, but at Manchester United, he refined his skills under the tutelage of Ferguson and established himself as one of the best in the world.
"He was a football father for me," Ronaldo said about Ferguson.
Ronaldo's admiration for Ferguson is well-known, and the Portugal international has not shied away from reiterating his respect for the legendary manager. The attacker is regarded as one of Ferguson's best-ever signings. Ronaldo won three Premier League titles, a Champions League trophy as well as a Ballon d'Or during his spell with Manchester United.
The 36-year old made 292 appearances in all competitions for the club, scoring 118 goals. He joined Real Madrid in 2009 for a then-world record fee of £80 million, and is currently playing for Italian giants Juventus.
#2 Pep Guardiola- Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Pep Guardiola's Barcelona side are regarded as one of the greatest ever to have played the game, and Lionel Messi was the star player of that team.
Guardiola was appointed as Barcelona manager in 2008, and Messi was already regarded as one of the best young players in the world during that time. However, under Guardiola's guidance, Messi became arguably the greatest player in world football.
"He (Guardiola) has something special about him. I don't know. He makes you see things in a certain way in terms of how he prepares for games, both defensively and going forward. He could tell you exactly how the match is going and how you have to attack to win," Messi said about Guardiola.
It was Guardiola who decided to play Messi as a false nine. The Argentine was a striker who would drop deep to help out in midfield, with his exceptional creativity and dribbling ability creating immense problems for the opposition defense.
Messi arguably played his best football under Guardiola's management. Messi's contract with Barcelona expires in the summer and he has been heavily linked with a move to Guardiola's Manchester City.
#1 Rinus Michels- Johan Cruyff (Ajax, Barcelona and the Netherlands)
The two people who have had an incredible influence on how football is thought of and played were Rinus Michels and Johan Cruyff.
The two Dutchmen were proponents of "Total Football," a philosophy which would go on to embody Ajax, Barcelona and the Netherlands national team. Under Total Football, a highly fluid structure was deployed, with no player having a fixed position on the field.
"I always greatly admired his leadership. Both as a player and as a coach there is nobody who taught me as much as him. He was a sportsman who put the Netherlands on the map in such a way that almost everybody still benefits from it. There is no one I learnt from more than Rinus Michels. I often tried to imitate him, and that's the greatest compliment one could give," Cruyff said about Michels.
Cruyff's impact in football is heavily visible, both as a player and as a manager. The influence he has had on Ajax and Barcelona is still felt at the clubs, from the youth academy to the style of play their fans want to see on a consistent basis.
Michels, on the other hand, played a crucial role alongside Cruyff in ensuring that Ajax were regarded as one of the biggest clubs in the world. He won the European Cup with the club in 1971, and was renowned for his leadership qualities. It is hard to imagine what football would be like without Michels and Cruyff.
Also Read: Ranking the 5 best penalty takers in the world this season (2020/21)
