‘Fergie screamed at me for parking in his spot – my pals said I’d be sacked’
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Sir Alex Ferguson has always seemed like the kind of bloke you wouldn't want to annoy – especially if you're a newbie.
Former Manchester United midfielder Kleberson did exactly that, mere weeks after signing for the club in 2003. He unknowingly left his car in Ferguson's parking space at the club's Carrington training ground one morning, and immediately found himself getting the spine-chilling Scot's infamous hairdryer treatment.
Speaking the Daily Mail, the Brazilian recalled: "As soon as I start to run with the guys [in training], I saw Sir Alex Ferguson walk to the building. He starts to scream.
READ MORE: Kleberson: 'Roy Keane screamed at me – but I couldn't argue back as my English was horrible'
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"My English at that time was really bad, I couldn't understand anything. I just understand like, 'Car parking'. And the guys ask the question, 'Who parked their car in Sir Alex Ferguson's spot?'"
Ferguson soon found out and laid into his perplexed new recruit. The telling off was apparently so bad that Kleberson's team-mates feared he might have his contract ripped up there and then.
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Despite the intimidating introduction, Kleberson says he enjoyed life under Ferguson and revealed that the 13-time Premier League winner even tried to learn a bit of Portuguese to make him feel at home. "So he'd learn all of the weekdays and times in Portuguese, which I thought was really good of him," Kleberson revealed in an interview with Ladbrokes last year.
"It's such a funny moment to think about, because he's one of the biggest managers in world football and he's taking the time to learn the languages of his players – he's an amazing manager. He knew what his players needed at all times, he was an incredible mentor. He really tried to make me comfortable at the club, even up until my last day!"
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Kleberson joined United from Atletico Paranaense for £6.5million, a year after starring in Brazil's 2002 World Cup-winning team. His performances at the tournament were so good that Brazil boss Luis Felipe Scolari declared that Kleberson was the "driving force" behind the success of the team – which featured megastars like Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Cafu and Roberto Carlos.
Unfortunately for United, the only driving force he provided in his two-year stint at Old Trafford was the speed with which they drove him to the airport to sell him to Besiktas. The midfielder failed to get to grips with the physicality of the English game and struggled in the rigid 4-4-2 system United were using at the time.
Injuries didn't help, but even when he was fit he played second fiddle to the likes of Roy Keane and Paul Scholes in central midfield. He played just 30 times for the club and won just one trophy, the FA Cup in 2005, before being sold to Turkey for a third of the price United paid for him in 2003.
After a short stint at Besiktas he moved back to homeland, turning out for former club Atletico Paranaense as well as Brazilian giants Flamengo. In 2013 he joined MLS side Philadelphia Union before spending the final few years of his career playing lower-league football in the States.
- Sir Alex Ferguson
- Manchester United FC
- Premier League
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