{"id":47532,"date":"2026-05-22T17:46:27","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T21:46:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/22\/sir-alex-ferguson-named-only-english-player-to-rival-cristiano-ronaldo\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T17:46:27","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T21:46:27","slug":"sir-alex-ferguson-named-only-english-player-to-rival-cristiano-ronaldo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/22\/sir-alex-ferguson-named-only-english-player-to-rival-cristiano-ronaldo\/","title":{"rendered":"Sir Alex Ferguson named only English player to rival Cristiano Ronaldo"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/22\/sir-alex-ferguson-named-only-english-player-to-rival-cristiano-ronaldo\/#Sir_Alex_Ferguson_gives_special_praise_to_Paul_Scholes\" >Sir Alex Ferguson gives special praise to Paul Scholes<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-5' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-5'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-5' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-5'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-5' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/22\/sir-alex-ferguson-named-only-english-player-to-rival-cristiano-ronaldo\/#Ranking_of_the_20_best_midfielders_in_Premier_League_history\" >Ranking of the 20 best midfielders in Premier League history<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/22\/sir-alex-ferguson-named-only-english-player-to-rival-cristiano-ronaldo\/#Xavi_believed_the_Manchester_United_star_was_the_best_midfielder_in_the_world_and_as_good_as_Iniesta\" >Xavi believed the Manchester United star was the best midfielder in the world and as good as Iniesta<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Sir Alex Ferguson is widely regarded as the greatest football manager of all time and is responsible for Manchester United&#8217;s 20-year reign.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<p>The Scottish player arrived at Old Trafford in 1986 with the reputation he had built at Aberdeen and went on to redefine what it meant to run a top-flight football club.<\/p>\n<p>Over an extraordinary 26 years, he won 38 trophies for Manchester United. These include 13 Premier League titles, two Champions League titles, five FA Cups and four League Cups, including the iconic 1999 treble that cemented his place in history.<\/p>\n<div class=\"table-container\">\n<table border=\"1\" cellpadding=\"1\" cellspacing=\"1\" style=\"\" align=\"\" summary=\"\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"col\">\n<p>sir alex ferguson trophy<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\">\n<p>Number of wins<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>premier league<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>13<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>FA Cup<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>5<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>league cup<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>4<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>FA Community Shield<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>10<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>UEFA Champions League<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>2<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>UEFA Cup Winners Cup<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>1<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>UEFA Super Cup<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>1<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>intercontinental cup<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>1<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>fifa club world cup<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p>1<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><strong>total<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<p><strong>38<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n<p>To achieve all of that, of course, Ferguson needed great players, and he worked with some of the best players in the world for 30 years.<\/p>\n<p>From the warrior leadership of Bryan Robson to the mercurial genius of Eric Cantona, perhaps the player who first made United believe they could conquer it all, Sir Alex has made a living by coaxing the best out of elite talent while fostering a team mentality.<\/p>\n<p>In midfield, there was the telepathic partnership of Roy Keane and Ince, the instinctive flair of Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke and the unstoppable force of Wayne Rooney.<\/p>\n<p>Peter Schmeichel is arguably the greatest goalkeeper England has ever seen, Rio Ferdinand redefined the modern centre-back &#8211; the list goes on.<\/p>\n<p>However, Ferguson himself believes that only four of the players he has coached at United can truly be described as &#8216;world class&#8217;.<\/p>\n<p>Cristiano Ronaldo was one of them, of course, while Cantona also made the list, as did Ryan Giggs, who spent nearly 30 years at Old Trafford, but only one English player was selected.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"sir-alex-ferguson-39-s-special-praise-for-paul-scholes\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Sir_Alex_Ferguson_gives_special_praise_to_Paul_Scholes\"><\/span>\n<p>                        Sir Alex Ferguson gives special praise to Paul Scholes<br \/>\n               <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Indeed, in his 2015 book, Ferguson named Paul Scholes as one of the four &#8220;world class&#8221; players he coached at United.<\/p>\n<section class=\"emaki-custom-block emaki-custom-pullquote\" data-nosnippet=\"\">\n<div class=\"emaki-custom pullquote\" id=\"custom_block_14\">\n<div class=\"custom_block-content pullquote\">\n<p>&#8220;If you read the newspapers or listen to the TV commentators, it seems like we are full of &#8216;world class&#8217; football players. In my book, there are only two world class players playing today: Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"custom_block-content pullquote\">\n<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t mean to disrespect or criticize 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: Cantona, Giggs, Ronaldo and Scholes.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>Scholes is widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders in Premier League history and spent his career with understated brilliance earning manager Ferguson&#8217;s approval.<\/p>\n<div class=\"display-card  article article-card small  no-badge  active-content                              \" data-include-community-rating=\"false\" id=\"football-best-midfielders-in-premier-league-history\" data-nosnippet=\"\">\n<p>                        <\/p>\n<p>                    <span data-field=\"label\" class=\"article-card-label\"><label>related<\/label><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"w-display-card-content regular article-block\">\n<h5 class=\"display-card-title \"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Ranking_of_the_20_best_midfielders_in_Premier_League_history\"><\/span>\n<p>\t\t\tRanking of the 20 best midfielders in Premier League history<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<p class=\"display-card-excerpt\">Where does Man City icon Kevin De Bruyne rank?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Two league titles became five, then 10, then 11. He won two Champions Leagues, three FA Cups and was still pulling the strings in United&#8217;s midfield well into his late 30s. He played in over 700 games and scored over 150 goals for the club he supported as a boy. It was a surprising return for a player whose job was ostensibly to sit back and control.<\/p>\n<p>He did everything without making any noise. No chasing money overseas, no fabricated headlines, no autobiography serialized in the tabloids. Scholes showed up week in and week out and was better on the pitch than just about anyone else.<\/p>\n<p>Zinedine called him the greatest midfielder of his generation. He said that Xavi is the player he respects the most. But Fergie&#8217;s praise may mean more than anything else.<\/p>\n<div class=\"display-card  article article-card small  no-badge  active-content                              \" data-include-community-rating=\"false\" id=\"xavi-man-utd-star-paul-scholes-the-best-midfielder-in-the-world\" data-nosnippet=\"\">\n<p>                        <img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"440\" height=\"248\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Xavi - Barcelona - Champions League - Final\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.footballfancastimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/xavi-barcelona-champions-league-final.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=220&amp;h=124&amp;dpr=2\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.footballfancastimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/xavi-barcelona-champions-league-final.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=220&amp;h=124&amp;dpr=2\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                    <span data-field=\"label\" class=\"article-card-label\"><label>related<\/label><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"w-display-card-content regular article-block\">\n<h5 class=\"display-card-title \"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Xavi_believed_the_Manchester_United_star_was_the_best_midfielder_in_the_world_and_as_good_as_Iniesta\"><\/span>\n<p>\t\t\tXavi believed the Manchester United star was the best midfielder in the world and as good as Iniesta<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<p class=\"display-card-excerpt\">He claims the United legend would have joined Barcelona&#8217;s iconic squad&#8230;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sir Alex Ferguson is widely regarded as the greatest football manager of all time and is responsible for Manchester United&#8217;s 20-year reign. The Scottish player arrived at Old Trafford in 1986 with the reputation he had built at Aberdeen and went on to redefine what it meant to run a top-flight football club. Over an [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":47533,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[345,909,2625,439,40,440,575,1858,910,438],"class_list":["post-47532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-football","tag-alex","tag-cristiano","tag-english","tag-ferguson","tag-football","tag-named","tag-player","tag-rival","tag-ronaldo","tag-sir"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47532","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47532"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47532\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47533"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}