For many Manchester United fans, Ferguson is undoubtedly a god-like presence at the Red Devils. The old lord's authority at Manchester United is unshakable, and any player who opposes Ferguson will not have a good result at Manchester United, such as Beckham and Keane, who were very popular at Old Trafford.
Another world-class star of Manchester United was also angrily rebuked by Ferguson and left Old Trafford shortly thereafter, the famous Dutch striker Van Nistruoy.
The incident took place in November 2002, when United lost 3-1 away to their city rivals Manchester City. Ferguson was harshly critical of Van Nistelrooy after the game as the Dutch striker walked into the dressing room with a Manchester City shirt.
Manchester United's passing defender Leo Ferdinand, who played in his first Manchester City derby of his career that day, saw Ferguson's roar and made him realise how important the Manchester City derby was to the Red Devils.
Recently, in a podcast, Ferdinand said: "We lost 3-1 to Manchester City at Maine Road and Sean Gott scored two goals. It was my first time in a derby, and then in the dressing room I realized how big a derby was.
We walked into the dressing room and Ferguson closed the door. It was quiet, and then all of a sudden he exploded. Van Nistelrooy was a God of Manchester United at the time and walked in with a Manchester City shirt in his hand and I remember Sir Alex Ferguson yelling at him.
He said to Van Nistelrooy: 'If I ever see any of you walk in with a Manchester City shirt, you will never want to play for the club again.' ’。
Before that game, I didn't realize that from then on, no matter how many games you win, the derby will always be the most important thing. "
Since then, Van Nistelrooy has helped him save some face with goals, helping Manchester United draw 1-1 at home to Manchester City, and it was Sean Gort who equalized for Manchester City in the final moments.
Still, United won their 8th Premier League title at the end of the season, and Van Nistelrooy also won the Premier League's Golden Boot for 25 goals.
Three seasons later, Van Nistelrough was at odds with Cristiano Ronaldo and clashed against Ferguson again, and was soon sold by Manchester United to Spanish giants Real Madrid.
After Ferdinand exposed the matter, many fans expressed their views. Some fans believe that Ferguson's approach is absolutely correct. Other fans thought Ferguson was making a big deal out of it. Because they felt it was perfectly normal for Van Nissy to swap shirts with Manchester City players after the game, and Ferguson had no need to be furious about it.
And, for a long time, the relationship between Manchester United and Manchester City has been very close. George Best and Mike Summerby are best friends, but that doesn't stop them from playing at their level in the Manchester Derby.
Before Ferguson took over manchester United, the Red Devils' greatest manager was Sir Matt Busby, who was also a Manchester City player (and also a Liverpool player) before becoming United's manager.
In addition, after the end of The Second World War, Old Trafford was unable to play due to air raids, and Manchester United also played at the Maine Road Stadium, and Manchester United's home attendance record was achieved at the Maine Road Stadium. Ferguson's concept of having to hate the opponent is completely unnecessary, everyone on the pitch is the opponent, but off the pitch the players should learn to respect each other.