Sir Alex was a man who rarely
failed in the transfer market. We look at five of his best dealings
There's not much to say about
Sir Alex Ferguson that hasn't already been covered.
His reputation as a manager
was unrivalled and his legacy at Manchester United is one that will almost
certainly stand the test of time.
So from where did Fergie get
his accolades? His development of youth was fabled and products such as David
Beckham, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes were all United-born and raised.
However he was also more
often than not incredibly astute in the transfer window, with the majority of
buys proving their worth time and time again.
With David Moyes so far
floundering when it comes to spending the Red Devils' money wisely, we take a
look at the top five buys that can be attributed to Sir Alex...
5: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Costing a mere £1.5million
from Norwegian outfit Molde, Solskjaer arrived at Manchester United with not a
single fan having the faintest idea of who he was.
However unlike a large
percentage of unknown foreigners who move to the Premier League only to realise
they simply can't cut it, Solskjaer went on to play 366 times for the Red
Devils, scoring 126 times in the process.
Nicknamed the 'Baby-faced
Assassin' because of his youthful appearance and clinical edge, Solskjaer
scored the stoppage time winning goal that saw United beat Bayern Munich in the
Champions League final of 1999.
That alone is probably worth
five times the money Fergie paid for him, but 11 years service as a top quality
player puts the icing on the cake.
Solskjaer may have been an
underrated super-sub, but he was one of the best pieces of business Fergie ever
did.
Wayne Rooney could quite
easily have taken this spot, but value for money dictates that it swings in
favour of the Norwegian.
4: Eric Cantona
Thought of as one of the
greatest players to have ever donned the red of United, Cantona was a buy who
didn't fall under the category of unearthed gem, but provided goals in abundance.
Signing for United for
£1.2million from Leeds, where he had won the English title, the Frenchman
almost single-handedly turned their season around, and continued to do so in
the years following.
Graceful with the ball,
unplayable on his day and, with the exception of his poor disciplinary record,
a near perfect footballer.
Cantona was vital in the
success Ferguson enjoyed in the 90's and a man whose ego knew no bounds. A
bargain if ever there was one.
3: Roy Keane
The hot-headed, full-blooded
captain who offered no quarter and installed fear into team-mates and enemies
in equal measures.
Keane's capture for a British
transfer fee record of £3.75m from Nottingham Forest may have been questioned
at the time, but no one can argue that he wasn't worth ten times that much in
the long run.
Becoming a crucial part of
Sir Alex's side for more than a decade and playing with his heart on his sleeve
every time he stepped out onto the pitch, Keane epitomised the fight and vigour
Ferguson was known for.
2: Peter Schmeichel
Arguably United's greatest
ever 'keeper, Schmeichel was purchased in 1991 for around £505,000.
The Great Dane became an icon
at Old Trafford and was instrumental in the success United experienced in the
90's.
Until the arrival of Edwin
van der Sar, Ferguson never really managed to replace Schmeichel between the
sticks, and United suffered for it as a result.
Schmeichel is lauded as being
one of the greatest goalkeepers in the history of the game, and his starfish
technique is heralded as being an evolution in modern 'keeping.
Half a million pound for
countless game-winning saves? A true great.
1: Cristiano Ronaldo
Those who would question
Ronaldo's place at the summit of this list need to remind themselves just how
good he had become by the time he left for Real Madrid.
The skinny teenager who
signed for Sir Alex in 2003 developed into an incredible player, and was one of
the best players of the world by 2009, winning three Premier Leagues, one
Champions League and an FA Cup in the process.
At £12.24million he cost a
little more than the others on this list, but considering United were buying a
man who could turn out to be one of the best players to have ever kicked a
football, that shouldn't be dwelled upon too much.
Ronaldo is a rare specimen,
and Ferguson did extremely well to bring him to Old Trafford ahead of his
rivals.
Cool Article sir,
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