“I don’t mean to demean or criticize any of the great footballers" - Recalling Sir Alex Ferguson's old claim that he only coached 4 world-class players at Manchester United, including Cristiano Ronaldo

Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson worked with Cristiano Ronaldo and many other great footballers during his time at Old Trafford.

However, the legendary tactician made an interesting claim that only four of the players he coached at the club were truly world-class.

Sir Alex built a dominant side at Manchester United, which ran the Premier League ragged in the 90s, the 2000s, and the early 2010s.

Despite having several big names playing under him throughout those years, the Scotsman has claimed that only the quartet of Cristiano Ronaldo, Eric Cantona, Paul Scholes, and Ryan Giggs were world-class players.

An old quote from his book titled 'Leading', released back in 2015, read (via Independent):

“I don’t mean to demean or criticize 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: [Eric] Cantona, [Ryan] Giggs, [Cristiano] Ronaldo and [Paul] Scholes.

“And of the four Cristiano Ronaldo was like an ornament on the top of a Christmas tree.”

Ferguson later explained the impact and importance of the four players mentioned above during an interview with the BBC seven years ago, saying:

“They made the difference and the evidence is there. When we brought him [Cantona] in we won the league that season – it was his mere presence and his ability to make and score goals.

“The younger breed like Ryan and Scholes were just fantastic players and the thing about those two was longevity.

“Are there players who have played right through the whole of the Premier League and performed at the level they have? There are none, absolutely none.

“Of course Ronaldo was just a complete genius of a player.”

He went on to say that the likes of Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez, David Beckham, Roy Keane, Rio Ferdinand and Peter Schmeichel were all great players but refused to label them world-class.

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Cristiano Ronaldo's second Manchester United spell in numbers

Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Manchester United on a two-year deal in 2021.

The Portuguese returned to Manchester United after parting ways with Juventus last year, joining the Red Devils in a deal worth €15 million. He impressed in his first season upon his return, recording 24 goals and three assists across all competitions.

This season, however, he's endured a slow start, having scored just once in eight games across all fronts so far. It remains to be seen if he can return to the top of his game and help the Red Devils as the campaign progresses.