Sir Alex Ferguson Talks Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Louis Van Gaal, More

Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has spoken out about current Red Devils captain Wayne Rooney in a new book, revealing he struck an agreement to ensure he would always earn more than the striker.

Ferguson, in the publication Leading, also revealed he didn’t think Rooney was a world-class player, citing Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Eric Cantona as the stars in that bracket during his tenure. The legendary manager also spoke about the vanity of Ronaldo before he left for Real Madrid and current manager Louis van Gaal.

But Ferguson’s revelation of a clause in the book, per the Press Association (via the Daily Mail)—which would ensure no player, including Rooney, earned more than the manager—is the most intriguing:

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When the Glazers and David Gill agreed to a big increase in Wayne Rooney's salary, they wanted to know how I felt.

I told them I did not think it fair that Rooney should earn twice what I made and Joel Glazer immediately said: 'I totally agree with you but what should we do?' It was simple. We just agreed that no player should be paid more than me. We agreed in less time than it takes to read the previous sentence.

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As noted in the piece, Rooney was toying with the idea of leaving United in 2010 when this conversation took place, questioning the Red Devils’ ambition and pondering the prospect of a move to bitter rivals Manchester City. Eventually, he signed a new deal worth a reported £180,000 per week and is now apparently earning a staggering £300,000 weekly salary.

According to Mark Ogden of the Daily Telegraph, the struggles to negotiate a new deal damaged the relationship between Rooney and the Scot, although they’ve made strides to build bridges since Ferguson’s retirement.

While Rooney has been a tremendous player for United, the staggering numbers are not looking like money well spent for the Red Devils, as the captain has struggled badly for form, per Squawka Football:

One player who's never short of goals is Ronaldo, who recently became Real Madrid’s all-time top goalscorer in La Liga. The Portuguese is one of the finest footballers of his generation, and Ferguson has insisted the forward knew how good he was, even if the other United players would give him a little bit of stick for it.

“The biggest ego came with beautiful vanity, with that fantastic body of his,” he said when discussing Ronaldo at an event to launch his book, per Matt Barlow of the Daily Mail. “Ronaldo would stand in the mirror and the others would throw socks and jockstraps at him.”

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But Ferguson was effusive in his praise of the Portuguese forward, claiming at the same event he was the best of four world-class players he had during his time at Old Trafford, per Barlow:

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If you read the papers or listen to the television commentators, we seem to be awash with 'world-class' footballers. In my book there are only two world-class players playing today: Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

I don't mean to demean or criticise any of the great or very good footballers who played for me during my 26-year career at United, but there were only four who were world class: Cantona, Giggs, Ronaldo and Scholes. And of the four Cristiano was like an ornament on the top of a Christmas tree.

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It's a small number when you consider the amount of top-quality players the manager worked with. Bundesliga pundit Jan Aage Fjortoft was able to think of one notable omission:

Ronaldo started his path toward greatness under the tutelage of Ferguson, as the Scot channelled the talent of a capricious, scrawny wide player brilliantly, with the Portuguese eventually becoming a thoroughbred match-winner. He helped the Red Devils to three league titles and one Champions League title in his six-year stay at Old Trafford.

As noted by Bleacher Report UK, he’s gone on to scale remarkable heights since he rocked up at the Santiago Bernabeu, too, etching his name into the club’s history with stunning goalscoring:

Ferguson also discussed current manager Van Gaal. The Dutchman took over at United after the anointed successor to the Scot, compatriot David Moyes, struggled in the role. Speaking to Sky Sports, Ferguson claimed Van Gaal boasts the swagger to be a success at Old Trafford:

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Louis has got a great background with Bayern Munich and Barcelona. He's got the pedigree there's no doubt about that.

I love his press conferences. They are brilliant. I can see some of the press guys twitching in their seats as he answers some of the questions. He's got the confidence to deal with that.

He's got the experience. He knows how to handle these things. It's going to take time because everyone is different. Taking over from myself it's going to take time to get his team on the pitch.

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The future of the football club is going to be interesting. The Red Devils are now a few years on from the glorious tenure of Ferguson and, after a tumultuous transition period, seem to be slowly re-establishing themselves under Van Gaal.

Rooney will likely be a critical cog in the short term, but in a team bristling with so much young talent, he’ll need to up his levels. The England skipper may not be a world-class player in the eyes of Ferguson, but there is still a vital role for the forward to play in getting United back to the levels the legendary manager hauled the club to during his revered reign.