Diego Forlan: Alex Ferguson never left Man United wanting – there will never be another

In his weekly column, Diego Forlan delves into his relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson, the former Manchester United manager he calls a 'general' who had football mastered – and had his players' hearts.

Former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson shown during a Premier League match in April 2013. Simon Bellis / Sportimage / Cal Sport Media / AP

Diego Forlan writes a weekly column for The National, appearing each Friday. The former Manchester United, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid striker has been the top scorer in Europe twice and won the Golden Boot at the 2010 World Cup. Forlan’s column will be written with the assistance of European football correspondent Andy Mitten.

Lots of different people get criticised when Manchester United struggle, usually the manager. When results don’t go your way then fans are going to be unhappy. Some criticism is warranted, but one thing people overlook when they look at the current United team is how much of a genius Alex Ferguson was.

Managers have their teams compared to Ferguson’s, which is tough because he’s the greatest manager ever. United miss him, especially in the biggest games, like Liverpool against United. When he led us to Anfield it was like a general leading his army into battle.

There’s not much space under the stands and he used to stand outside the dressing room and shout at the referee and even Liverpool players. Or, in my case, wait to give me a hug after I had scored twice when we beat Liverpool. It was a happy end to a 2002 which had started with Ferguson calling me in Argentina to sign me from Independiente.

I couldn’t understand him properly because he was speaking really fast with a strong accent and I had been taught English by people who spoke with clear accents, but I understood: “We want you. You can be a great player for us. Wait for us. You will play for Manchester United.”

Read more: Andy Mitten interviews Richie Wellens – Onetime Manchester United hope talks Alex Ferguson and almost making it

Also see: All of Diego Forlan's past columns for The National at his author page

I didn’t say much and I wasn’t absolutely convinced that it was him. I called my agent to confirm the caller’s identity and he said it was.

A few weeks later, Ferguson personally took me inside Old Trafford and showed me around. He knew everything and everyone. I’ve never had this with another manager since.

Afterwards, he drove me to Mottram Hall Hotel where I was going to stay. He spoke all the way about football and said he lived around the corner if I needed him.

A year later I was playing golf at Mottram Hall when I saw an angry man a couple of holes in front. He was playing badly, the ball was going the opposite direction to where he hoped. It was Ferguson again. I hid because he was angry. I told him a few days later that I’d seen him and he laughed and said that I should have said hello.

Ferguson took time to learn about his players and their families and that felt great. I always believed that I had his support, that I could go to him. I wasn’t always happy not to be playing, but I understood that he had a lot of players to choose from.

He realised that individual players were different and wanted them all to be settled. When Cristiano Ronaldo and Kleberson arrived in 2003, he was intelligent with them. He anticipated that as they were young they would be homesick and he tried to give them holidays back home – maybe 10 days in Madeira and Brazil. I was envious of this because I wanted to see my family in Uruguay too, but I wasn’t genuinely homesick.

In January, the idea of being with my family on the beach in Punta del Este appealed, but I never went and Ferguson didn’t think I needed to go. I ended up scoring some of my best and most important goals for United in January.

Instead, my family came to see me. Ferguson knew all about my father’s career and was keen to meet him, two footballers who played in the 1960s. My father cannot speak English and Ferguson cannot speak Spanish. That did not stop Ferguson trying and he actually had several phrases. My father was impressed.

Ferguson was unique among the managers I worked for. When we played European ties, he would get everyone together the night before games and organise a quiz in the hotel. He took these very seriously and was furious if he lost. It was hilarious.

He would get into arguments with Ryan Giggs, Daivd Beckham, David May and the Neville brothers about events which happened 30 years ago. They accused each other of cheating. I would sit with Seba Veron and Laurent Blanc and laugh. It was like a family argument, but it added to the spirit at the club.

When I left United in 2004, I had an argument with Ferguson a couple of days earlier. He was angry because I was not wearing studs like he wanted. That was all forgotten when I went in his office to talk about moving to Villarreal. He knew I had to go and was good about it.

“I wanted to use you more,” he explained. He later said that he regretted letting me go, but we always had excellent relations. He kept in touch with me by text, praising me when I had played well in games, and he invited me to a dinner for his 25th anniversary in Manchester and I went.

I feel privileged to have been part of the United family under Ferguson. I respected his knowledge. He knew everything about the opposition. For United against Barcelona in Philadelphia in 2003, he picked Xavi out, told me to get goalside of him when we defended and stay there. “Don’t let him get the ball,” he would say. I scored twice and we won. Whenever I played against Xavi in Spain I would do the same thing. Xavi used to say: “Again, Diego!” Nobody played him like I did, and that was because of Ferguson.

I can’t see any other coach staying so long and winning so many trophies in football as Ferguson. I see the demand for trophies being instant. There will not be the patience which allowed Ferguson four years before he won his first trophy. Which means there will never be another Ferguson.

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