Duncan Ferguson notoriously has the reputation of being one of the hardest footballers the Premier League has ever seen. The intimidating Scot, however, isn't always given credit for just how good he was as a top-flight striker.
Plying his trade for Newcastle United and Everton in the Premier League, Ferguson racked up 69 goals in 269 matches in the hardest division in world football. Add in a spell at one of the two biggest clubs in Scotland, Rangers, and the man known as 'Big Dunc' had a career he can look back fondly on.
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Across his 26-year senior career, the eight-cap Scotland international played both with and against some incredibly talented players. When asked to provide the five best he lined up alongside in a recent interview with The Mirror, Ferguson gave six names, while labelling two of his ex-colleagues 'world-class'.
Duncan Ferguson's Greatest-Ever Teammates
'They were world-class players'
Ferguson has remained consistent in several interviews in naming English icons Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney as the two best players he ever shared a dressing room with. It was no different on this occasion as Big Dunc lavished the pair with praise:
"Wayne [Rooney] and Shearer are the top two. They were world-class, they were world-class players."
The retired centre-forward was then asked if Scottish legend Ally McCoist would make the cut, to which Ferguson responded with huge praise for his ex-Rangers teammate. He said: "Ally was a wonderful player. That's going back a bit like. But for Scotland, you'd have to put Ally up there in the Scottish players. Ally was a wonderful goalscorer and had a fantastic career."
Duncan Ferguson Career Statistics
Team
Everton
Newcastle United
Rangers
Dundee United
Scotland
That sparked thoughts of other top-class stars he encountered during his 12-month stint at Ibrox. Danish playmaker Brian Laudrup, English forward Mark Hateley and Scotland stalwart Richard Gough were all players the 53-year-old name-checked:
"There's guys at Rangers, but I was only young at the time. Guys like [Brian] Laudrup. You look back on it and players like Laudrup, Mark Hateley, Ally McCoist. Richard Gough was a great captain for the Rangers. He was a wonderful player."
One final name who many wouldn't have expected to feature is current Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. The pair didn't play together for long, as the Spaniard joined Everton on loan in January 2005 before making the move permanent the year Ferguson hung up his boots officially. Speaking about the gifted midfielder, he recalled: "Mikel Arteta was a wonderful player as well."
Watch Ferguson discuss his best-ever teammates in the video below (Starts at 8:48):
Statistics in this article are courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 23-06-25.