Sir Alex Ferguson showed he was on a “whole different level” when he tried to sign a former teammate of Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane for Manchester United.
Zinedine Zidane was linked with Manchester United in the past and Sir Alex Ferguson had been keen to bring the French superstar to Old Trafford in the 1990s.
The 53-year-old Frenchman had impressed at French outfit Bordeaux before Serie A side Juventus landed him in 1996, with Zidane impressing at the Turin-based club.
Zidane, who is widely regarded as one of the best players of all time, lifted France Football’s Ballon d’Or award while he was still at Juventus during the 1990s.
The ex-Juventus attacking midfielder would leave the Serie A side and Zidane continued to add to his footballing legend at Real Madrid after his blockbuster 2001 transfer.
Zidane was a key part of Florentino Perez’s ‘Galacticos era’ in the Spanish capital and Los Blancos landed him for a world-record fee at the time of £45.8m.
Edgar Davids played alongside Zinedine Zidane at Juventus and the Dutch legend was on Sir Alex Ferguson’s radar at Man Utd
Edgar Davids linked up with Zinedine Zidane at Juventus in 1997 after he had a disappointing spell with AC Milan, having signed for the Serie A side in 1996.
The 52-year-old ex-midfielder had made a name for himself at Ajax and he signed on a free transfer with AC Milan, with his spell at the San Siro lasting one season.
Davids had a successful spell at Juventus and he lifted three Serie A titles with the Old Lady before he exited the Italian club in 2004 and signed for Inter Milan.
Speaking to MUTV, the former Juventus and Milan player admitted that Sir Alex Ferguson tried to sign him when he was at Dutch side Ajax in 1996.
“I got to talk to Sir Alex and it was one of the most incredible talks I ever had,” he said, as per Manchester United’s official website.
“But I had already made my mind up to go somewhere else [Milan].
“Yes, it was in 1996, when I was with Ajax, but it was just the way he [Ferguson] was.
“His personality and everything. It was a whole different level.”
Why did Edgar Davids not sign for Man Utd, despite Sir Alex Ferguson’s interest in the former Juventus star?
Edgar Davids admitted that he enjoyed playing against the “amazing players” that former United manager Ferguson had assembled at Old Trafford in the past.
However, the former Netherlands international insisted that he had “no regrets” about playing in Italy instead of moving to the Red Devils under Ferguson.
“I played against amazing players [at United], who started doing amazing things,” he added.
“When you play against certain teams, you then also follow the careers of these young players.
“But no regrets. I only considered Italy for me because Italy was the place I wanted to be.
“The best players were playing in Italy at the time, like it is now in the Premier League.”
Davids would later play for the likes of Tottenham and Crystal Palace, as well as have a second spell at Ajax, before his playing career came to an end at Barnet.
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