Sir Alex Ferguson is the greatest manager of all time.

With an astonishing record of 13 Premier League titles across his 27 years at Manchester United, the beautiful game might never see a head coach of such decorated stature ever again.

Ferguson's genius in the technical area allowed him to regenerate United squads into serial winners and transcend eras of the sport with his unwavering ability to coach teams to victory.

Ferguson's greatness

As a result, I'm not sure there has ever been a separation of greater magnitude than when Ferguson inevitably stepped down as United coach in 2013 - and they've arguably never recovered since.

But the legendary manager has always maintained a close relationship with the club and has even returned to the United dugout from time to time, albeit for charity matches and testimonials.

Nevertheless, seeing Ferguson do what he does best never gets old and football fans were even gifted some unique insight into one of his final appearances in the United dressing room.

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Ferguson's 'Last Man Utd Team Talk'

That's because Rio Ferdinand shared footage of Ferguson's 'Last Man United Team Talk' moments before the squad, stacked with legends, warmed up for Michael Carrick's testimonial.

And while there's good reason to think Ferguson might have given a similar speech for the Treble Reunion Match in 2019, there's still a moving finality about his monologue two years previously.

Complete with jokes from Gary Neville, jibes at Ferdinand and special praise for Ji-Sung Park, it really does make for compelling viewing, so be sure to check out the full briefing down below:

Why Ferguson is the GOAT

“Apart from a great team, you’ve turned out great guys,” Ferguson mused. “You’ve done really well, all of you. Well done. And it’s not easy, being a footballer and then quitting.”

And ultimately, that's the crux of why Ferguson deserves his GOAT status because there was always a very real feeling at United that the Scot was creating more than just a football club.

The United icon was by no means a win-at-all-costs sort of coach and instead demanded the sort of morals and values from a player that are, at the end of the day, intrinsic with being a good person.

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Now, as you might point out, there are most certainly individuals in the United dressing room who have made mistakes in their time but that doesn't make Ferguson's goal any less earnest.

So, yes, as Ferguson says himself, the players at this disposal at United were not always the best in the world, but it was who and what he turned them into that made him the greatest of all time.