Iconic ex-Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson dropped brutal advice regarding a Real Madrid legend during the early stages of the former player’s career.
That is according to former Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp, who crossed paths with Sir Alex Ferguson when he was managing in the Premier League.
Ferguson is widely regarded as one of the best managers of all time, with the Manchester United legend leaving behind a lasting legacy at Old Trafford.
The 82-year-old Scotsman led the Red Devils to all 13 of their Premier League titles, with United’s last league success coming in the 2012-13 season.
Ferguson was also the first manager in history to lead an English team to a continental treble after United pulled off the feat in the 1998-99 season.
The legendary Scot brought his fair share of world-class talent to Old Trafford, including the likes of Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Eric Cantona.
Ferguson enjoyed both the highs and lows at Old Trafford, with even the United legend missing out on signing legendary former players.
The Aberdeen and United legend left the Old Trafford hot seat in 2013 after he called it time on his illustrious managerial career.
Ferguson’s advice to Redknapp
Speaking to The Daily Mirror, Harry Redknapp recalled the moments when he first arrived at Spurs and crossed paths with Real Madrid legend Gareth Bale.
Gareth Bale had started his career with Southampton before Tottenham signed him in 2007 for an initial fee of £5m.
The 35-year-old Welsh former winger announced himself to the world during his first spell with Tottenham, with Bale spending the majority of his spell under Redknapp.
Bale scored 71 times and registered 53 assists in 237 appearances for Tottenham before Real Madrid signed him in 2013 for a world-record fee at the time of £85m.
The former Wales international went on to achieve incredible success in the Spanish capital, including lifting five Champions League trophies.
Redknapp said that Sir Alex Ferguson urged him to snub Bale at first after he called him ‘unlucky,’ with the Madrid legend initially holding a poor win record at Spurs.
“When I first got to the club, he had played 20-odd games and had never been on the winning team,” he told the newspaper.
“I remember Alex saying to me: ‘I wouldn’t pick him, Harry, he is unlucky’ because he had played around 24 games and had never ever been on a winning team, since he had been at Tottenham, which is an incredible record.
“Not that it was his fault, it was just the way it had worked out. If he came off the bench, they didn’t win, and if he started, they didn’t win.
“Eventually, we broke that voodoo and never looked back. His confidence grew and he became an amazing footballer.”
Ferguson wanted Bale at Man Utd
United were heavily linked with Gareth Bale in 2013 after Ferguson retired and was replaced by former Red Devils boss David Moyes.
However, Ferguson had been keen to land former Tottenham ace Bale, who retired from football in 2023, ahead of Real Madrid.
That is according to United legend Patrice Evra, who claimed that Ferguson wanted to sign Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo in 2013 before his retirement.
“You know, you talk about the hardest moments [in my United career], I would say maybe this is the one,” he told the UTD Podcast in 2020.
“Two weeks before that, I remember there was a lot of media saying Ferguson will maybe retire next year, and he said, ‘Patrice, I will never retire. I will be here another 10 years.’
“He then said: ‘My target is I’m 99 per cent sure we will have Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. I just need these two players to win the Champions League again. Ninety-nine per cent.’
“And to be fair, when I speak with Cristiano, I ask him and he said yes to the boss, and was coming to join United. He told me this.”
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/tIB4Mg7