Manchester United legend Jaap Stam admitted he was shocked at the criticism he received from journalists when arriving in England.
The Dutchman became the world's most expensive defender when Sir Alex Ferguson prized him away from PSV Eindhoven in 1998 for £10.6million. The commanding centre-back spent three years at Old Trafford where he won six major trophies including the historic Treble in 1999.
Stam, 51, left an eternal legacy in Manchester in such a short space of time. Despite his reputation as one of the greatest defenders in Premier League history, the former Dutch international admitted that he felt pressure upon his move to England due to his hefty price tag.
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Sky Get it here"I arrived as the most expensive defender in history, and with that, you feel a lot of pressure as a player because you want to show yourself," Jaap Stam exclusively told Ladbrokes Fanzone. "It's a new league, you're dealing with new players, tougher opponents, you know you're not at your best because you're still trying to adapt and settle into your new life."
Stam said that he paid attention to the criticism that was hurled at him by journalists and "couldn't believe" the stick he was getting early on into his career in Manchester. "Of course I'd read what was being written about me, and the match ratings from journalists, and I was shocked at the time to see what people were saying about me," he added.
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While the criticism eventually didn't much to harm Stam's stellar performances on the pitch, the Dutchman credited Ferguson for guiding him through the rough period of his career in England. "That's where the manager was so important, because he was constantly there for me, giving me confidence," he remarked.
The three-time PFA Team of the Year inductee was wholly complimentary of the Scotsman, simply branding him as "extraordinary" admitting he grew as both a player and person thanks to the former United boss.
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"I can sum up Sir Alex Ferguson in one word. I would say extraordinary. Extraordinary in every way. He had massive belief in me as a player by bringing me in. A player from Holland who nobody really knew... maybe a few people had seen me playing for PSV in the Champions League. But the boss stuck with me, believed in me, and didn't just help me out as a player, but also as a person," Stam continued.
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