Very few Manchester United stars were immune to the infamous ‘hairdryer’ treatment when Sir Alex Ferguson was in charge. From the stray football boot that left David Beckham needing stitches to Ruud van Nistelrooy receiving a verbal lashing for swapping shirts after a derby defeat, the Scot was as renowned for his temper as he was for his success.
However, it seems certain individuals were left alone by the legendary boss. Eric Cantona was one player said to avoid such rows despite his notorious kung-fu kick at Crystal Palace, which cost him a red card and a lengthy ban. Cristiano Ronaldo was another who Ferguson conceded needed to be handled with care, treatment that arguably paid off given his achievements at Old Trafford.
Indeed, one clash between Ferguson and ‘CR7’ seemingly changed the manager’s outlook. That’s according to former club captain Nemanja Vidic, who made 300 club appearances in a trophy-laden stint with the club between 2005 and 2014.
“With the manager, I never had a close relationship,” he told The Overlap. “If he asked me something, I would tell him, but I never had that relationship. Rio (Ferdinand) or Darren Fletcher would talk more.”
The Serbian claimed that Ferguson, 83, began to learn only certain players would respond well to rollockings, adding: “What he realised, it’s not that he didn’t shout at me because he was scared of anyone, but he realised that with certain players, it would not help if he’s shouting.
“I think he changed that after he shouted at Cristiano Ronaldo. I don’t think Ronaldo took it well, maybe good for the English and British players, but he was careful with the foreign players.”
Ferguson won 13 Premier League titles during his time in charge, two Champions League crowns, and a host of domestic cups. He certainly retained has retained the respect of Ronaldo long after the icon left for Real Madrid in the summer of 2009.
The 40-year-old still refers to his ex-manager as “boss.” He cited him as a “father figure” during the early stages of his career, when he moved to United from Sporting CP at the age of 18.