How Sir Alex Ferguson built his last great Manchester United side
June 2004. Ferdinand, listening to a speech in another United dressing room, demonstrated another characteristic of Ferguson’s character.
However, there were no tears this time.
Ferguson did not lose his mind and hand over the hairdryer this time, but showed his optimistic side.
An unwavering belief that he can and will rebuild the Reds – even against a team that calls themselves the “Special One.”
“When Mourinho joined Chelsea in the summer of 2004, there were rumors that I and other players might leave,” Ferdinand recalled.
“But he said, ‘Listen, we’re going to build this team and you’re going to be one of the main parts of it’.
“He said, ‘Stay with me.’ He was probably the only coach in the world at that time that I would listen to that.
“He said, ‘Trust me. I don’t make mistakes very often in football. Stay with me and we’ll get it right’.”
“I was like, ‘I’m right there. I’m behind you and I believe in you.'”
In June that summer, two players also joined the team and they had a huge impact on the 2008 Champions League victory.
The first is the title name.
A once-in-a-generation English talent is in hot demand after his breakthrough at Euro 2004.
Wayne Rooney is a young striker whose transfers have dominated headlines and newspaper columns.
The second time is the unexpected second coming. After an unsuccessful spell at Real Madrid, Carlos Queiroz returned to Manchester United as Ferguson’s assistant coach.
Despite the Portuguese’s claims of being “special”, Mourinho’s arrival in the Premier League wasn’t all about him.
This is part of, and the beginning of, the wider internationalization of the Premier League.
This is partly due to the large amounts of money brought in by the likes of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, and the resulting rise in transfer fees and wages. But the Premier League and its managers also need to embrace the global game.
Rooney was a precocious British talent from Croxteth, Liverpool, who did all the talking on the pitch. Once he recovered from the broken foot he sustained at the Euros, his impact was immediate.
In your face, in the targets, in the headlines.
Queiroz is a Portuguese assistant coach who speaks several languages and will, over time, become a vital link between Ferguson’s East End roots and an increasingly international side.
“When I came to the club, the Premier League and Manchester United were not that international,” former Serbia defender Nemanja Vidic tells BBC Sport’s new documentary Sir Alex.
“Carlos is so smart,” added former England midfielder Michael Carrick, another player Ferguson signed ahead of his 2006 rebuild in Moscow.
“He’s coached almost every day and takes the lead during the week, maybe a little more tactically. He’s boring at times but focused and good at what he does. And he especially balances out the boss brilliantly.”
Prioritizing speed – especially in attack – will be crucial for Ferguson as the rebuilding path to Moscow begins to take shape.
“Wayne and Cristiano definitely had a huge impact,” Queiroz said. “This is part of the change, we have to increase the pace to reduce the opponent’s reaction time. There is no doubt that these two kids have completely changed the environment at the club.
“Sir Alex and I always thought we would be the first at training. But when the two boys, Cristiano and Wayne, arrived at the club, they were right ahead of us.”
Rooney and Ronaldo were part of Ferguson’s reinvention of talent, which also included recruiting players with a specific mission: to bridge the gap between the Premier League and European football.
“Sir Alex said to me: ‘I’m looking for someone who can give me more information about European football,'” Queiroz said.
“People who were able to communicate in different languages, because at that time Manchester United started to have Spanish players, French players and so on.
“I communicate well in those languages and we moved from Sunday to Tuesday.
“English football and culture on Sunday – I attack, you attack. Then in European football on Tuesday, sometimes it’s wait and see. It’s important to create traps. Wait, exploit the opponent’s weaknesses.
“In England it’s ‘I do my best, you do your best and we’ll see’. But when you play against Italy, when you play against Spain, it’s different.”
“When Sir Alex and I have these discussions, we need to keep the balance in the dressing room, play in an English style at the weekend and then three days later in Europe, change our approach.
“When Sir Alex Ferguson brought me to Manchester United, it was the first time we spoke… I still remember his words. He said to me: ‘Carlos, you have to understand, you are here to help me win another title. league.'”
