Patrice Evra: Alex Ferguson gave ‘the best speech ever’ to Manchester United squad

“Even now I’m having goosebumps.”

Patrice Evra has been speaking about the impact Alex Ferguson had on his career. The former Manchester United full-back played under Ferguson at Old Trafford for seven highly successful years.

During their time together, Man United won five Premier League titles, three League Cups, the Champions League and the Club World Cup. Evra’s respect for Ferguson, however, goes beyond the football experiences they shared.

Patrice Evra on working with Alex Ferguson

In an interview with the Guardian, Evra speaks about his time working alongside Ferguson. Evra describes him as a collaborative figure.

According to the Frenchman, his former Man United manager was always willing to listen to players and offer words of encouragement. The Scot wasn’t like his caricature image of an angry dictator, ready to deploy the ‘hairdryer’ treatment at any time.

Evra said Ferguson always knew the right thing to say and how to get his players to perform at the highest level time and time again. The former Juventus defender speaks about one incident in particular when Ferguson ‘gave the best speech ever.’

Ferguson’s speech

Ahead of the 2008 Champions League final against Chelsea in Moscow, a match Man United won on penalties, Ferguson addressed his squad.

According to Evra, the United manager “didn’t talk football” but instead spoke about the players’ backgrounds and how proud he was to lead the team.

“He gave the best speech ever. He didn’t talk football,” Evra said.

“Ferguson said: ‘Imagine Patrice with his 24 brothers and sisters. His parents have to feed them all on a bad street.’ He talked about Rooney growing up in a tough part of Liverpool. Carlos Tevez coming from Argentina. He talked about difficulties for other players.

“He then said: ‘This is my victory. We have already won the Champions League. Enjoy the game.’ Even now I’m having goosebumps.”

Man United after Ferguson

Patrice Evra also explained how David Moyes failed at Old Trafford. The former Everton manager was Alex Ferguson’s hand-picked successor following his retirement in 2013.

Moyes, however, struggled and was sacked before the end of the season. According to Evra, the Man United players did not ‘respect’ Moyes as much as they respected Ferguson. Which isn’t a surprise, and shows that it was probably an impossible job for the Scot.

“When Ferguson left, United lost their DNA, their philosophy,” Evra said.

“He was inspiring so much respect, so much fear, and if any player starts thinking he is bigger than the team then he destroyed you. The players always wanted to play for Ferguson. I tried my best for David Moyes but I knew it would be a disaster because players won’t respect him like that. It was a mission impossible.”

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Originally published on August 24, 2020.

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