Sport

From Adams to Zola: The A-Z of Fergie's favourite opponents

Gianfranco Zola always played with a smile on his face, which annoyed Alex Ferguson no end apparently 
Gianfranco Zola always played with a smile on his face, which annoyed Alex Ferguson no end apparently  Gianfranco Zola always played with a smile on his face, which annoyed Alex Ferguson no end apparently 

"HE ALWAYS played with a smile on his face..." The sort of line which may precede a wistful remembering of a player who brought so much joy to the rememberer was instead followed by Alex Ferguson in his interview with Sky Sports' Jim White with "...and that annoyed me."

In what was always going to be a team affair, bordering on the sycophantic, Fergie was recalling Gianfranco Zola as one of his three 'favourite' players his Manchester United team had faced during his 26 and-a-half years at Old Trafford.

It was a revealing insight into a man who could always appreciate good football, but ultimately was only every concerned with his team winning. Ferguson has been embarking on a series of interviews as he promotes his new book about leadership, oddly called 'Leading' and even Sky Sports' shouty deadline-day anchor (no, that's not rhyming slang) JIM WHITE, was in reverential mood when questioning 'Sir Alex'.

The tone was set before a word was spoken as the pair of Scots were cosily ensconced in a plush hotel room after what looked like a spot of lunch, judging by the unwashed dishes on the table in front of them. It looked like Fergie had opted for a bowl of soup, the remnants of which had dried in hard around the inside of the bowl. That'll require a vigorous scrub later on... after it's been steeped in cold water for a while.

Zola, Jamie Carragher and Tony Adams were the three players the former United boss picked out as the toughest his side had faced, describing Adams as a United player. While the two defensive totems for their respective teams, Carragher and Adams garnered praise from Fergie for their honest endeavour and leadership qualities (see what he did there), but his grudging respect for the Italian came from the fact that Zola was never overawed by playing against Manchester United, which was enough to turn Fergie's face red.

The 30-minute programme was padded out by constant shots of Ferguson and his team lifting trophy after trophy, but the Scot conceded they should have won more, especially a few more Champions League trophies. It was his first Champions League win in 1999 which provided one of the most revealing moments of the interview. Ferguson recalled how a chance meeting with Bayern Munich boss Ottmar Hitzfeld and his players the season after they won the Champions League in 2001 resulted in Hitzfeld and his players each individually thanking Ferguson for breaking their hearts in Barcelona in 1999 as they used it as motivation to capture the famous trophy two years later.

It was always going to be nice and civilized, even when White broached the subject of Fergie's prickly relationship with the media. Jim may have been risking the hairdryer treatments, but the fiery Scot has mellowed in his retirement and now helps to 'coach' younger managers in how to deal with press - so you can thank Fergie for Nigel Pearson, Sean Dych and Alan Pardew. Ha, his final revenge on the media...