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Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is easily the most respected manager in the history of football. The legendary manager is touted as one of the best the world has ever seen, and it would take a lot for the players to go against him.
The Scotsman has managed tons of players in his time, earning respect from every one of them. However, there were a few who went against Sir Alex Ferguson and challenged him.
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While some later made peace with the legendary manager, others are yet to get back on speaking terms. On that note, here are
5 Manchester United players who Sir Alex Ferguson had an issue with
#5 Peter Schmeichel
Sir Alex Ferguson wanted to win every match he managed, and when it was against Liverpool, there was no excuse whatsoever. In 1994, things were going smoothly for Manchester United at Anfield as they took a 3-0 lead through Denis Irwin, Steve Bruce and Ryan Giggs.
However, Liverpool managed to get back in the game and finish level. Sir Alex Ferguson unsurprisingly fumed at the result and blamed Peter Schmeichel.
The former Manchester United goalkeeper was not happy with the accusations and fired back. Things turned ugly in the dressing room, as Schmeichel revealed on Jamie Carragher's 'The Greatest Game' podcast:
"The only thing he [Ferguson] was saying after the game was about my goal kicks. I had about 700 goal kicks in the second half and I'm hitting them 80 yards but straight up to the defenders, heading it back. He was sick and tired of that. I just lost it a little bit. I lost my composure."
"The thing about him, and I want to stress this, you could always argue back. No matter how angry he was, you could always argue back and always defend yourself. But this scene was just ugly. It was a Saturday game, and we were back in Monday. He called me in first thing and said, 'You know I have to sack you'? I was still fuming at that time, so I said, 'Fine. So let me go.' I was just being stupid."
However, things were settled quickly as Peter Schmeichel apologized to the manager and his Manchester United team-mates.
#4 Paul Ince
Paul Ince was someone who loved to have authority on and off the pitch. He was the self-proclaimed "Guv'nor" of the Manchester United dressing room, and Sir Alex Ferguson was not a big fan of it.
Reports suggest Paul Ince and Sir Alex Ferguson were never comfortable with each other as the midfielder believed the manager was undermining his respect among the teammates. Things got worse between the two when Ince joined Liverpool – Manchester United's arch-rivals – in 1995.
The two reportedly do not acknowledge each other to this day.
#3 Roy Keane
If there was ever a player who could look Sir Alex Ferguson eye to eye and say whatever he wanted to do, it was the former Manchester United captain, Roy Keane. The Irishman feared no one and never gave up until things went his way.
While Sir Alex Ferguson never had an issue with Keane on the pitch, two major off-the-pitch incidents changed their relationship forever. The problems started in Portugal when Manchester United were there for pre-season training.
Roy Keane was there on vacation with his family a week before training. His family stayed with him even after pre-season began, and they had issues with the villas they stayed in. The Manchester United midfielder was unhappy with the places he got near the Manchester United training camp and wanted to stay in the nearby village, where he had spent the preceding week.
Sir Alex Ferguson's loyal assistant Carlos Queiroz was not willing to budge, and the two butted heads. The villa issues were resolved behind the scenes but the tension between the management and Roy Keane was sky high.
Things got worse in 2005 when Roy Keane went on a rant on Manchester United's MUTV. The Irish midfielder was out injured and the club's channel decided to have him comment on a game.
Manchester United lost 4-1 to Middlesbrough and Roy Keane went on a rant. Luckily, the interview was not live on MUTV and Sir Alex ordered for the video to be destroyed. The Irishman was fined £5,000 and the legendary manager wrote about the incident in his biography:
"I think Roy realised he was coming to the end of his playing career and was starting to think he was the manager. He was assuming managerial responsibilities, and, of course, it’s not a managerial responsibility to go on Manchester United television and slaughter your team-mates."
"The one thing I could never allow was loss of control, because control was my only saviour. As with David Beckham, I knew the minute a football player started trying to run the club, we would all be finished."
The two are reportedly yet to see eye to eye – over 15 years since the fallout.
#2 Ruud Van Nistelrooy
Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Sir Alex Ferguson enjoyed a great relationship on and off the pitch until the League Cup final in 2006. Manchester United were winning comfortably against Wigan, and the manager decided to bring on the youngsters, Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra, instead of the Dutch striker.
The move left Ruud Van Nistelrooy furious on the sidelines, and he went off on the manager. The Dutchman reportedly called Sir Alex Ferguson a 'Scottish pig' and left everyone stunned.
Following that incident, things got worse between the two. Reports suggest that the Dutchman saying "go cry to your daddy" to Cristiano Ronaldo in a Manchester United training session - months after his father passed away - was the final straw for Sir Alex Ferguson. The striker was sold to Real Madrid – a year after he asked for a move to the Spanish giants.
Confirming the incident years later, Ruud Van Nistelrooy said:
"I called him something. I called him a number of things in a blind rage. Cocky and stubborn as I was, I couldn't snap out of that for some time after. That's how it all crashed. It was just really disrespectful, there were lots of other people there. It wasn't all that outrageous in terms of words but it was completely out of order. Not done. I wasn't proud of it, still am not."
#1 David Beckham
David Beckham vs Sir Alex Ferguson is one of the most famous stories in world football. The two had a great relationship, but the manager was unhappy after the Manchester United star started dating Victoria.
Sir Alex Ferguson believed the glamor of being in the spotlight and traveling up and down the country was getting to David Beckham. Sir Alex Ferguson was furious with the activities off the pitch and even wrote about it in his autobiography.
"The big problem for me...he fell in love with Victoria. And that changed everything. He lost the chance to become an absolute top-dog player. He wanted to give it all up for a new career, a new lifestyle, for stardom."
Tensions grew between the two when Sir Alex Ferguson "accidentally" kicked a boot into David Beckham's face after Manchester United lost against Arsenal in the FA Cup.
The Englishman revealed the incident was a big turning point in their relationship, and they barely made eye contact during his last season at Manchester United.
