Irrespective of club bias, there is no doubt that Sir Alex Ferguson is one of – if not the – most illustrious managers in Premier League history and the stubborn Scot once named the greatest defender he had ever borne witness to. And, no, it wasn’t a player from his days in charge of Manchester United.
From start to finish, Ferguson – widely regarded as one of the best managers of the 21st century – had a plethora of elite defenders to marshal his back line. Think Gary Neville and Rio Ferdinand; let’s be frank, both were among the best defenders of the modern era.
By virtue of managing the Red Devils during their most trophy-laden period, the Govan-born tactician also had to deal with his centre-forwards being locked up by some of the best defenders world football had to offer. AC Milan hero Paolo Maldini springs to mind.
Ferguson Names Moore the ‘Greatest Defender’ Of All Time
Pele also waxed lyrical about the heroic Englishman
None of the aforementioned names, however, caught the eye of Ferguson more than one in particular: he was mysterious, defensively resolute, not witnessed by many. His name was Sir Bobby Moore, a stalwart for both West Ham United and England.
A classy defender, London-born Moore possessed everything that a defensive titan required: he was combative, he’d get his head to just about everything and, on the ball, he was cool and collected. A true defensive colossal of the game.
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It’s not only Ferguson who has waxed lyrical about the late, great Englishman. Pele said: “He was one of the world’s finest defenders and a great sportsman. The shire he wore against me in that 1970 match is my prize possession. The world has lost one of its greatest football players and a great gentleman.”
That sentiment rung true in the mind of Ferguson as, in agreement with the aforementioned Brazil legend, he made a bold claim by admitting that Moore, who passed away in 1993, was the greatest defender he had ever witnessed in his years of admiring the sport. Per The Metro, he said:
“He was the best defender I have ever seen.”
Although Moore enjoyed a pleasant domestic career, it was his international exploits for which he will be best remembered for. Most notably, the Three Lions icon wore the captain’s armband when Sir Alf Ramsey’s side held the World Cup trophy aloft in 1966.
No man has been able to replicate the heroics of Moore, a West Ham stalwart between 1958 and 1974 before he was sold to fellow capital club Fulham. He spent two seasons in west London, which was pierced with a short loan stint in America with San Antonio.
The above picture of him, held up by his fellow countrymen in those memorable red shirts, will be forever etched into the mythology of English football; as will his name. Moore is simply one of the best defenders to ever play what we like to call ‘the beautiful game’.
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