A Manchester United star who played 126 games under Sir Alex Ferguson broke down what it was like to work with soccer's greatest ever manager
- Sir Alex Ferguson is the most successful manager in the history of soccer.
- He won 38 trophies during his time at Manchester United, including a record 13 Premier League titles.
Sir Alex Ferguson is the most successful manager in history of soccer.
In 39 years as a manager in Scotland and England, Ferguson won an unprecedented 48 trophies, 38 of which came during his time at Manchester United.
During his 26-year spell at Old Trafford, the Scotsman guided the club to a record 13 Premier League titles, as well as five FA Cups, and two Champions Leagues.
Throughout his managerial career and since retiring at the end of the 2012/13 season, managers across the globe have tried and failed to emulate Ferguson's level of success, with current Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola being the only man to come close with 30 titles to date.
So what was the secret to his incredible win rate? The former United midfielder Quinton Fortune, who played 126 games under Ferguson at United between 1999 and 2006, recently gave Insider an insight into what it was like to work with the Scotsman, and why he was so good at what he did.
Ferguson had a grueling training regime
"When I arrived after United has just won the treble, I was thinking these guys have just won everything in world football, but the way they were training was almost like a team that has never won anything," said Fortune.
"It was just like, wow, it was almost like they were fighting relegation or something. Just unbelievable.
"I don't ever remember during my time at United having an easy session. Honest truth, everything you did was always at max tempo, it was unbelievable."
Ahead of big matches against title rivals, Fortune said training would only get harder.
"It was even more relentless a week or two before you played Liverpool or Arsenal," said the South African. "There was even more tempo and tackles flying in.
"Sometimes the boss stopped training because it was getting getting so spicy."
Despite training being difficult, however, Fortune said it would inevitably make match days easier.
"It was great because on a Saturday afternoon you didn't have to change much, you were ready," said the South African. "You just did exactly the same as you did in training.
The standard of player in United's squad also helped, Fortune said, because no one was as good as they were when it came to matchdays.
"No disrespect to other teams but games were probably easier, because you weren't facing Ryan Giggs or Paul Scholes or Roy Keane. You weren't facing a David Beckham or Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke who also trained at full pace, so it was great."
The Scot made United a family
"It was such a family club," said Fortune. "We ate together in the canteen, everyone including the academy, the staff, everyone, so you got to know everyone very quickly.
"That was so important. The canteen was for everyone and the bosses to come in and see the team there, the academy kids there, and there staff there. It was really special."
Fortune said Ferguson also personally helped him settle into life in England following his 1999 transfer from Spanish side Atlético Madrid.
"He would, really out of the blue, come to me and just check with me, ask me how my family is and how I am settling in," he said.
"Just those few words for me gave me a huge boost of confidence because I thought, 'Wow, the boss took the time out to come and see me and see if I'm OK, settling in, if I'd found a house and everything.'"
Asked if he thinks that family feel is currently missing from United, which has failed to win a Premier League title since Ferguson's departure and is struggling under new boss Ralf Rangnick, Fortune said yes.
"It's changed obviously since Ferguson left," he said.
He chose good players too
Ferguson managed some of the best in the business during his tenure as United manager.
Some players he plucked from the club's academy, most notably the Class of '92, a group of six youngsters – David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Phil Neville, and Paul Scholes – that graduated from United's youth system and all went on to become regulars under the Scot.
Other players Ferguson dipped into the transfer market to acquire, with his most notable and successful recruits over the years being Keane, Van Nistelrooy, Eric Cantona, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney, and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Scholes and Ronaldo are the two best Fortune said he played with.
"Scholes was a genius," he said. "In terms of his vision, his passing range, scoring goals, tackles, keeping the ball for you all day long.
"He just saw everything, before the ball would come to him he had like three or four options. You could give him the ball in any situation and he would find a solution for you."
Speaking about Ronaldo, who arrived at United in 2003 aged just 17, Fortune said no player he ever played with had such a high work ethic or was so full of self belief.
"His mentality, I've never seen anything like like it in my life," he said.
"His mindset, he was telling people when he arrived at Carrington that he was going to be the best in the world, which is unbelievable walking into Manchester United and telling people that."
Insider's interview with Quinton Fortune was facilitated by Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott International's award-winning travel program, as part of the launch of its Manchester United Suite of Dreams competition.