“He would be in jail today”: Evra lifts the lid
Patrice Evra didn’t hold back when he spoke on the SDS podcast this week, revisiting the fiery reign of Sir Alex Ferguson , the legendary Manchester United manager under whom he played for seven and a half years. But this time, the nostalgia came laced with a warning: Fergie’s ferocity, he joked, would be criminal by modern standards.
“If Ferguson was coaching right now he would probably end up in jail,” said Evra, 43. “Do you know how many players I saw cry because he gave them the hairdryer, throwing boots, he was evil.”
That “evil” included legendary outbursts, public humiliation, and a disregard for friend-or-foe status when discipline was on the line.
Evra remembered one such incident in Saudi Arabia during a “friendly”, a term Ferguson apparently didn’t recognise. When a young Danny Welbeck missed a penalty after a pass from Wayne Rooney , the Scotsman erupted.
“When we got back into the dressing room, Ferguson [shouted] ‘Welbeck!’ Me and Welbeck were in the toilet, he was having a pee, but Ferguson was shouting.
‘Who the f*** do you think you are, coming in the first team, taking a penalty?’
I was like, ‘Boss, it’s just a friendly game.’
He was like, ‘F*** the friendly game.’”
Ferguson’s methods, as savage as they were, built a dynasty. He won 38 trophies in 26 years at Old Trafford—13 Premier Leagues, five FA Cups, and two Champions Leagues. But Evra made it clear: those results came with casualties.
When Nani broke down in tears at Anfield in 2011 after a horror tackle by Jamie Carragher , Ferguson wasn’t moved.
“Ferguson fumed: ‘I hope your leg is broken, a United player cannot cry at Anfield,’” said Evra.
Even among teammates, compassion was in short supply.
“We were bad people. I want to apologise to all the youngsters who trained with us. We were animals,” Evra said.
“After the game, we were waiting for the next day when we were going to kill Nani, to tell you how nasty we were, we didn’t care. If you’re bleeding and you cry, you’re done, you’re not part of us.”
According to Evra, Ferguson had to give Nani a week off, not to heal the injury, but to escape the dressing-room wrath. “Even now in the United WhatsApp group, we still put that picture of Nani crying at Anfield.”
“It wasn’t even worth a stitch”: Beckham revisits the boot incident
Perhaps the most famous eruption in Ferguson’s career came in February 2003, after an FA Cup loss to Arsenal. In the dressing room, he kicked a boot that struck David Beckham above the eye, resulting in stitches and a tabloid storm.
But in Netflix’s Beckham documentary, the former England captain offered the full story, and a dose of accountability.
“We walked in the changing room and the boss is fuming. I can see it by his face.
And when you see the boss’s face like this, you don’t want to be anywhere near him.
[He was f’ing and blinding] and I went back at the boss and said ‘no’ and then I swore. I said the f-word. And then I saw him change, and I was like, ‘S***, I really shouldn’t have said that’. I think I said the f-word too many times.”
That’s when the boot flew.
Sir Alex offered his side too, admitting: “I kicked the boot at his head. I mean, honestly, it was an absolute freak.”
He later suggested the media frenzy, including the photos of Beckham’s stitched eyebrow, was “stage managed.”
“Yeah I’m not going to talk about that. The only thing I will say is that I think that was stage managed. It wasn’t even worth a stitch.”
But beyond the boot, Beckham revealed the heartbreak of being released from the club he considered home.
“Did I ever want to leave Man United? No, never.
It was my home. My relationship with the boss was always special. We had our moments, but I still loved him.”
Beckham said he pleaded to speak to Ferguson, calling the club and asking, “Can I speak to the boss?” only to be told, “No, he doesn’t want to talk to you.”
Ferguson, for his part, said:
“The decision was made, it was better he went. He didn’t need to go. He could have stayed if he wanted. I think he knew it was the right time.”
“Who do you think you are?”: Ronaldo left in tears
Even Cristiano Ronaldo wasn’t spared. Rio Ferdinand recalled a pre-season game in Portugal when the young Portuguese star, trying to impress, went too far with his showboating against Benfica .
“We’d been to Portugal and played a couple of games, and he hadn’t played well, Cristiano, because he was young, he tried too hard,” Ferdinand told BBC Sport.
“I remember we played Benfica, and the manager ripped into Cristiano.
‘Who d’you think you are? You’re coming in here trying to prove to everybody who you think you are, you think you’re a superstar.’”
The result?
“And I remember Cristiano in tears in the changing room. And I was like, ‘This manager doesn’t care, man. He doesn’t care who you are.’”
Legacy of the hairdryer
The "hairdryer treatment", a term born from Ferguson’s tirades, became synonymous with managerial fury in football.
Defined as a blistering verbal dressing-down delivered at uncomfortably close range, the treatment was loud, personal, and unforgettable. And while Ferguson popularised it, he wasn’t the only practitioner. But few wielded it like him, with a boot, a stare, or a perfectly timed “f*** off.”
In an era of sports science, player empowerment, and mental health awareness, Ferguson’s old-school methods feel increasingly alien. But his success remains undeniable.
And maybe, just maybe, his players knew the madness had a method.
Patrice Evra didn’t hold back when he spoke on the SDS podcast this week, revisiting the fiery reign of Sir Alex Ferguson , the legendary Manchester United manager under whom he played for seven and a half years. But this time, the nostalgia came laced with a warning: Fergie’s ferocity, he joked, would be criminal by modern standards.
“If Ferguson was coaching right now he would probably end up in jail,” said Evra, 43. “Do you know how many players I saw cry because he gave them the hairdryer, throwing boots, he was evil.”
That “evil” included legendary outbursts, public humiliation, and a disregard for friend-or-foe status when discipline was on the line.
Evra remembered one such incident in Saudi Arabia during a “friendly”, a term Ferguson apparently didn’t recognise. When a young Danny Welbeck missed a penalty after a pass from Wayne Rooney , the Scotsman erupted.
“When we got back into the dressing room, Ferguson [shouted] ‘Welbeck!’ Me and Welbeck were in the toilet, he was having a pee, but Ferguson was shouting.
‘Who the f*** do you think you are, coming in the first team, taking a penalty?’
I was like, ‘Boss, it’s just a friendly game.’
He was like, ‘F*** the friendly game.’”
Ferguson’s methods, as savage as they were, built a dynasty. He won 38 trophies in 26 years at Old Trafford—13 Premier Leagues, five FA Cups, and two Champions Leagues. But Evra made it clear: those results came with casualties.
When Nani broke down in tears at Anfield in 2011 after a horror tackle by Jamie Carragher , Ferguson wasn’t moved.
“Ferguson fumed: ‘I hope your leg is broken, a United player cannot cry at Anfield,’” said Evra.
Even among teammates, compassion was in short supply.
“We were bad people. I want to apologise to all the youngsters who trained with us. We were animals,” Evra said.
“After the game, we were waiting for the next day when we were going to kill Nani, to tell you how nasty we were, we didn’t care. If you’re bleeding and you cry, you’re done, you’re not part of us.”
According to Evra, Ferguson had to give Nani a week off, not to heal the injury, but to escape the dressing-room wrath. “Even now in the United WhatsApp group, we still put that picture of Nani crying at Anfield.”
“It wasn’t even worth a stitch”: Beckham revisits the boot incident
Perhaps the most famous eruption in Ferguson’s career came in February 2003, after an FA Cup loss to Arsenal. In the dressing room, he kicked a boot that struck David Beckham above the eye, resulting in stitches and a tabloid storm.
But in Netflix’s Beckham documentary, the former England captain offered the full story, and a dose of accountability.
“We walked in the changing room and the boss is fuming. I can see it by his face.
And when you see the boss’s face like this, you don’t want to be anywhere near him.
[He was f’ing and blinding] and I went back at the boss and said ‘no’ and then I swore. I said the f-word. And then I saw him change, and I was like, ‘S***, I really shouldn’t have said that’. I think I said the f-word too many times.”
That’s when the boot flew.
Sir Alex offered his side too, admitting: “I kicked the boot at his head. I mean, honestly, it was an absolute freak.”
He later suggested the media frenzy, including the photos of Beckham’s stitched eyebrow, was “stage managed.”
“Yeah I’m not going to talk about that. The only thing I will say is that I think that was stage managed. It wasn’t even worth a stitch.”
But beyond the boot, Beckham revealed the heartbreak of being released from the club he considered home.
“Did I ever want to leave Man United? No, never.
It was my home. My relationship with the boss was always special. We had our moments, but I still loved him.”
Beckham said he pleaded to speak to Ferguson, calling the club and asking, “Can I speak to the boss?” only to be told, “No, he doesn’t want to talk to you.”
Ferguson, for his part, said:
“The decision was made, it was better he went. He didn’t need to go. He could have stayed if he wanted. I think he knew it was the right time.”
“Who do you think you are?”: Ronaldo left in tears
Even Cristiano Ronaldo wasn’t spared. Rio Ferdinand recalled a pre-season game in Portugal when the young Portuguese star, trying to impress, went too far with his showboating against Benfica .
“We’d been to Portugal and played a couple of games, and he hadn’t played well, Cristiano, because he was young, he tried too hard,” Ferdinand told BBC Sport.
“I remember we played Benfica, and the manager ripped into Cristiano.
‘Who d’you think you are? You’re coming in here trying to prove to everybody who you think you are, you think you’re a superstar.’”
The result?
“And I remember Cristiano in tears in the changing room. And I was like, ‘This manager doesn’t care, man. He doesn’t care who you are.’”
Legacy of the hairdryer
The "hairdryer treatment", a term born from Ferguson’s tirades, became synonymous with managerial fury in football.
Defined as a blistering verbal dressing-down delivered at uncomfortably close range, the treatment was loud, personal, and unforgettable. And while Ferguson popularised it, he wasn’t the only practitioner. But few wielded it like him, with a boot, a stare, or a perfectly timed “f*** off.”
In an era of sports science, player empowerment, and mental health awareness, Ferguson’s old-school methods feel increasingly alien. But his success remains undeniable.
And maybe, just maybe, his players knew the madness had a method.
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