It says a lot about where you live when you meet a famous person in the flesh for the first time ever - at the grand old age of 18.

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Yes, living so far north does have its disadvantages - like living 115 miles from the nearest Burger King (and civilization in general), the lack of any famous people to occasionally bump into, and the fact that the country itself has more cows and sheep than people.

The ironic thing is that I didn't even meet Sir Alex Ferguson in my hometown of Castletown - I met him at Glasgow Caledonian University where he was taking a 'Sporting Masterclass'.

As soon as I heard that the Manchester United boss was coming to my university, I immediately signed up to book a place.

The chance of meeting a real life legend for the first time was too good an opportunity to turn down. And of course, the big man's signature could take pride of place on my wall back home to impress the locals - and all the sheep.

There's no doubting that Sir Alex is one of the greatest managers of all time, if not the greatest. He has won more that 30 trophies at Manchester United and has time and time again proved his tactical nous.

Yet despite all the success he's had, Fergie showed at this masterclass what a down-to-earth guy he really is.

During the lecture, Sir Alex talked about his upbringing in Govan, an impoverished area of Glasgow. His first point for us to remember was to 'never forget our roots' - in fact the day before, he had been back to his old high school.

He also spoke in great detail about 'taking your opportunities'. The example he used was that one night in 1963, he pretended to be ill so he didn't have to go to training with his club St.Johnstone. 

The next day, his irate manager phoned and told him to report to the team hotel as he had been picked for the game against Rangers the next day. And in that game, Ferguson scored a hat-trick - which led to him playing football full time.

He then talked about his style of management - his philosophy that 'no player is bigger than the club'. Fergie added, without naming names, that he also did not like players with big egos who were no good either.

And in one of the most revealing answers he gave to our questions, he said:

"Ronaldo is a magnificently gifted player; he just trained and trained and trained. The best footballer I've ever worked with. A fantastic player. And Rooney too, he's incredible - and what about Giggs? Did you know he's been galavanting up the wing for Manchester United since he was 16? Unbelievable. And Giggsy is probably the most humble person you'll ever meet in your life."

And then he was done. As he left the lecture theatre and walked out of the door to rapturous applause, I was (for the first time in my life) starstruck.

One of the greatest managers ever had just been a few feet from me. Through the way he talked and what he said, it was clear that Ferguson really is a great man. A legend.

And what about Sir Alex's signature to stick on my bedroom wall? Well, I forgot to ask him!