Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson have often been labelled as big spenders. Indeed, Sir Alex has been around so long that he is bound to have made some big money buys along the way. While having made several blunders in the transfer marker over the quarter century that he has managed United for – Djemba Djemba, Kleberson, Forlan, and Bebe to name a few – Sir Alex has often stunned the footballing world with purchases made for ridiculously low amounts who have gone on to achieve greatness at both club and international level. Below are a couple of the greatest bargains made by the grandmaster.
Peter Schmeichel: Purchased from Brondby CF for 5,30,000 pounds, “The Great Dane” as he was affectionately known was arguably one of the greatest to ever guard the goalposts at Old Trafford. In a Manchester United career that spanned 9 years Schmeichel performed with distinction and won the Champions League and multiple Premier League titles in addition to other domestic trophies. One of his finest seasons was the treble winning season of ’99 where he made several crucial saves at crucial junctures as he helped United achieve greatness by securing success on both domestic and European fronts.
Cristiano Ronaldo: Purchased for 12 million pounds from Sporting Lisbon, Cristiano Ronaldo captured the world’s imagination with his creativity, speed and lethal finishing as he scored goals at will and tormented defences for five seasons at United. He won the treble and the double while at United and also achieved success at the individual level by winning the prestigious Ballon d’Or on multiple occasions. He was sold to Real Madrid for 80 million pounds, a sale that only serves to highlight the magnitude of the bargain made by Sir Alex.
There is a typo, It is Peter Schmeichel
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