Sir Alex Ferguson claimed only four of the Man Utd players he managed were world class

Sir Alex Ferguson, during his 26-year tenure as manager of Manchester United, achieved remarkable success, winning 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups, four League Cups, and two Champions League titles. Despite working with many highly regarded players, Ferguson claimed in his 2015 book *Leading: Learning from Life and My Years at Manchester United* that he only managed four players whom he considered truly world-class: Eric Cantona, Ryan Giggs, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Paul Scholes.

Ferguson stated, “The media often suggests we have a surplus of ‘world-class’ footballers. I don’t mean to belittle or criticize the great or very good players I worked with during my 26 years at United, but only four were truly world-class: Cantona, Giggs, Ronaldo, and Scholes.” He even highlighted Ronaldo as the standout among them, comparing him to “a decoration on top of a Christmas tree.”

Interestingly, Ferguson also praised another player who wasn’t included in his world-class list but was an essential part of his best XI: Denis Irwin. Known for his reliability, Irwin made 468 appearances for United, winning seven Premier League titles. Ferguson regarded him as an “eight out of ten” player and said, “Denis Irwin would be the one certainty to make the team.” He recalled a rare mistake Irwin made at Highbury, which led to a goal, but quickly defended him, saying, “One mistake in ten years isn’t bad. He was an exceptional player.”