Over the course of his 27-year reign in charge of Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson had the chance to work with some incredible footballers and oversaw some icons of the sport coming through the doors at Old Trafford. Legends such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney and Eric Cantona all played under the Scot during his illustrious tenure as the Red Devils' manager.
It's easy to see why they'd want to work with him too. Ferguson is regarded as one of the best managers in the history of the beautiful game. He achieved incredible things with United and as a result, he had pulling power when it came to recruiting talent. There aren't many footballers in the world who would turn down the chance to work with him.
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The Scot had his fair share of transfer target during his illustrious 26-year stewardship of Manchester United.
One star did just that, though, and he rejected the Scot personally. It takes a certain character to feel comfortable doing that. Unfortunately for United, Paolo Di Canio was that sort of character and he personally told Ferguson no when the manager asked him to join him at Old Trafford.
Di Canio Turned Ferguson Down in 2001
The manager approached him on Christmas Day
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While for many, Christmas Day is about spending time with your family, opening presents and just basking in yuletide joy, Di Canio's 2001 Christmas consisted of Ferguson reaching out to him and trying to convince the Italian to join him at United in the transfer window that opened one month later. Speaking on the Sky Sports News' Transfer Talk podcast, via talkSPORT, Di Canio shared all. He said:
"I thought it was a joke, I thought it was my friend from Italy. My stomach went a bit because it makes you think you have underestimated yourself, that you are bigger than what you thought. Man United call you, try to persuade you to move because they want you. For a couple of minutes, you feel big and strong.
"It was strange for me to say no to Sir Alex. I said 'thanks, 1000 times thanks, but I can't. West Ham are the family that warmed to me in the worst moment in my life. I'm the skipper, I can’t'. He told me, 'Paolo, respect this. I love people that think in this way. You are the man that I thought you were.'"
For many, the opportunity to move to United would be a dream come true. Most footballers would jump at the chance. Di Canio isn't like most footballers, though. He turned the Red Devils down and he did so to stay loyal to West Ham United. You don't see that very often. There's a reason he's considered such an icon at the Hammers.
Di Canio is a West Ham Legend
He is beloved by the Hammers fanbase
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Di Canio's fierce loyalty to West Ham is just one of the reasons that he became a legend at the club and such a beloved figure within their fanbase. After bouncing through a number of different clubs, including Juventus, AC Milan and Celtic, the Italian landed at Sheffield Wednesday and had two very impressive seasons with the Yorkshire club.
After pushing referee Paul Alcock to the ground following being shown a red card in a match against Arsenal, Di Canio was banned from football for 11 matches. He was inactive from September 1998 to January 1999, but that didn't stop West Ham taking a chance on him and bringing him into the fold during that winter transfer window.
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The club took a risk, but believed in his talent and he paid them back and then some. The forward settled in very quickly in east London and wasted no time proving the Hammers were right to spend £1.5m on his services, with the move going down as one of the best in the club's history.
He went on to spend four and a half years at West Ham, playing just under 150 matches for the club. He scored 50 goals during his tenure with the team, while also assisting on 17 strikes as well. Everything ran through Di Canio on the pitch and while he only managed to lift one trophy with West Ham, the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 1999, he still managed to solidify himself as a hero for the fans and is remembered fondly to this day.
He didn't just pay them back on the pitch, but he did so by turning down the chance to join United in 2001. He remembered the belief that they showed in him during the worst moment in his career and he made sure to repay them with loyalty. He ultimately remained with the Hammers for a further two years before joining Charlton Athletic in 2003.
All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt and accurate as of 10/12/2024