Sir Alex Ferguson was no stranger to the occasional spat. Known for his intimidating persona, the iconic Manchester United manager even fell out with his own players on a number of infamous occasions.
Perhaps most notably, he kicked a boot at David Beckham, and he even called Paul Ince a 'bottler' to his face at half time during a Champions League loss to Barcelona. Due to his combustible nature, Ferguson also regularly fell out with opposition managers.
Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho were no strangers to the occasional war of words with the Man United boss, but there was a Liverpool icon who was left absolutely furious with the Scot on one occasion. He was so upset, even, that Ferguson later dubbed him 'a very angry man'.
Ferguson Clashed With Liverpool's Rafa Benitez
Sir Alex Ferguson and Rafa Benitez on the sideline
The clash relates to an incident which happened in January 2009. Rafa Benitez’s Liverpool side were seven points ahead of Man United, when Ferguson remarked that the Reds could still 'choke' and lose their lead at the top of the Premier League.
The Spanish manager was quizzed about the comment in his press conference and went off in a bizarre monologue, which is now remembered as his infamous 'facts' rant. He began: "I was surprised by what has been said, but maybe they [Manchester United] are nervous because we are at the top of the table.
"But I want to talk about facts. I want to be clear, I do not want to play mind games too early, although they seem to want to start. But I have seen some facts."
Benitez then went on to list a number of grievances he had with Ferguson, highlighting his 'behaviour with referees', as well as complaints about the fixture schedule, among other issues. He concluded his lengthy speech, saying:
"We had a meeting in Manchester with managers and FA about the Respect campaign. And I was very clear, forget the campaign because Mr Ferguson was killing the referees, killing Mr Atkinson, killing Mr Hackett. But he is not punished. How can you talk about the respect campaign and criticise the referee every single week? You can analyse the facts and come to your own decision and ideas."
Ferguson Hit Back at 'Angry' Benitez
The press conference led to a big media storm, and Ferguson was later quizzed for his thoughts on the matter. The Man United boss shot back at Benitez, saying:
"I think he was an angry man. He must have been disturbed for some reason. I think you have got to cut through the venom of it and hopefully he'll reflect and understand what he said was absolutely ridiculous."
Those dismissive comments must have angered the Liverpool boss even more, but what really rubbed salt in the wounds was the fact that Ferguson's choking prediction was right. Indeed, Man United would catch up their rivals to seal their 11th Premier League title, with the Reds unable to get their hands on the prize for what would have been the first time ever.
Bentiez will always be remembered as an Anfield icon as he delivered the 2005 Champions League win, one of the most memorable nights in the club's history. But his reputation was certainly damaged after his bizarre rant and never really recovered during his time at Liverpool, as he then departed in 2010.