The players who escaped from Sir Alex Ferguson

When Manchester United is remembered, fans don’t talk about the team that currently parades the Premier League in Red and White jerseys but the Sir Alex Ferguson era of world beaters. Now—that was Manchester United.

The Scottish manager was famous for getting what he wanted and when he wanted it, including players; both legendary and otherwise. However, Sir Alex Ferguson as much as he built a cult status at Old Trafford, did not have the charms on every player or star. After all, despite being a legend, he was still a man who still has his share of transfer regrets.

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In his book Leading, the iconic Scot revealed the stories behind some world-class talents that got away—players who could have rewritten Old Trafford’s history had they donned the red shirt.

Among these near-misses was Didier Drogba, the powerhouse striker Ferguson once scouted but hesitated to sign before Chelsea swooped in with a £25 million offer.

Ferguson later admitted, “Chelsea moved in for the kill before we had made up our minds.” Another Chelsea great, Petr Cech, almost made the leap to Manchester from Rennes, but Ferguson, questioning whether the young goalkeeper was ready for the rough and tumble of Premier League football, decided to pass.

But the list doesn’t end there. From Ronaldo Nazario to Sergio Agüero, Ferguson disclosed how United missed out on signing some of the world’s best due to work permits, agent demands, or simply being outbid.

One of the most surprising tales was that of Raphael Varane, who was almost a United player in 2011 before Zinedine Zidane intervened and whisked the talented defender away to Real Madrid.

Ferguson revealed with some frustration,

“David Gill was getting into the finer points of the contract with Lens when Zidane scooped him up from under our noses.”

The full list of Ferguson’s “ones that got away” reads like a dream lineup of football royalty—proof that even legends can’t always have it all.

Would Man United’s trophy cabinet be even more packed with these stars? Perhaps. But their absence is part of what makes football history so fascinating.