In football, the attacking players tend to get most of the glory. After all, only two defenders Franz Beckenbauer and Fabio Cannavaro) and one goalkeeper (Lev Yashin) have ever won the Ballon d'Or. Sir Alex Ferguson, however, seemed to have a great appreciation for one iconic defender.

Having won a record number of 13 Premier League titles during his time as Manchester United manager, and two Champions Leagues as well, the Scottish coach would have known better than most that any successful team must rely on a sturdy backline. Perhaps this explains why he held one man in such high regard.

Indeed, Ferguson once went on record as saying that he preferred a certain centre-back over the likes of Lionel Messi, Kaka and Zinedine Zidane.

Ferguson Loved 'Wonderful' Italian Defender

For many, Paolo Maldini is regarded as one of the best defenders in football history. He spent his entire career with AC Milan, lifting three Champions Leagues and a whopping seven Serie A titles. He also played 126 times for Italy, as he marshalled his nation's defence for a number of years.

Ferguson was a huge fan of the centre-back. As quoted by TalkSport, he even said he preferred Maldini over some of the most exciting footballers of the 21st century:

"When I think of the current generation, Lionel Messi is top-level and, although he has never taken my breath away, Kaka has impressed, Zinedine Zidane was brilliant but without a doubt, Paolo Maldini has been my favourite – he has a wonderful presence, competitive spirit, athleticism, and although not the world's greatest technically, he has influenced all the AC Milan teams during his wonderfully successful era."

Ferguson Wanted Maldini at Man Utd

It's not the only time Ferguson has spoken fondly about Maldini either. Indeed, he once revealed he tried to sign the player, only to get a rather strong rebuttal from the player's father Cesare (who also played for AC Milan, playing 412 times for the Italian club).

Ferguson recalled: "I once asked Maldini's father Cesare about him. He looked at me as if I was a madman and that response was enough to understand that the answer would be no."

He also rated fellow Italians Gianfranco Zola and Francesco Totti, remarking: "I also loved Gianfranco Zola a lot. He always played with a smile and with the right sporting spirit," before then adding:

"Totti is the symbol of Roma, he'd never want to leave the club just like Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes at United. Totti needs to be kept at a certain level for Roma, just as I do at United. I may not let Giggs play every week but he's always there. It could be the same for Totti."

Unfortunately for Ferguson, Italian's moving to the Premier League has never been a really popular pipeline. In fact, only six men from that country have won the competition: Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal), Federico Chiesa (Liverpool), Mario Balotelli (Manchester City), Federico Macheda (Manchester United), Carlo Cudicini (Chelsea), and Massimo Taibi (Manchester United) – with most of them only playing a bit-part role.

Had Maldini ended up at Man Utd, though, it's hard to imagine him achieving anything other than great success under Ferguson.