Legendary Italian boss Marcello Lippi is deciding which anecdote to tell first when talk turns to his 'brotherly' relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson.

'Yes, he was almost like a brother to me,' Lippi tells Sportsmail.

'We exchanged many gifts. I brought him the Turin gianduiotti (chocolate) for his grandchildren but he ate them in the end.'

Marcelo Lippi (L) has reflected on his relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson over the years

The two managers did battle over the years but soon bonded over their mutual love of wine

MARCELO LIPPI CV Player 1969-79: Sampdoria (274 games, 5 goals) [LOAN] 1969-70: Savona (21 games, 2 goals) 1979-81: Pistoiesce (45 games, 0 goals) 1981-82: Lucchese (23 games, 0 goals) Manager 1985-86: Pontedera 1986-87: Siena 1987-88: Pistoiese 1988-89: Carrarese 1989-1991: Cesena 1991-92: Lucchese 1992-93: Atalanta 1993-94: Napoli 1994-99: Juventus 1999-2000: Inter 2001-04: Juventus 2004-06: Italy 2008-10: Italy 2012-14: Guangzhou Evergrande 2016-PRESENT: China Advertisement

The two bosses spanned generations, building sides capable of being the very best across Europe.

Lippi, now 71, has fond memories of his time sharing a touchline with Ferguson when Manchester United collided with the Italian's dogged Juventus.

And while the pair had mutual respect in their technical areas for each other, the respect extended into a shared love of wine.

He continued: 'Even the wine, the good one from my Tuscany. He loved sending me the Matrioskas, the Russian ones, with boxes in the boxes containing his 1971 Whiskey Maccallan. One day I have to call Alex and ask him for another box.'

Competition, as it often does in those who dedicate their life to sport, got the better of them when they had a bet as to the name of a particular bottle.

'He was in love with a wine he called 'Tigno'. In reality it was called 'Tignanello' but he was convinced it was wrong,' Lippi explains.

'We made a bet and called the sommelier of that restaurant: I won! We used to send wine suggestions by mobile phone: he was a big fan.'

Lippi left Juventus in his first spell before the Old Lady went on to face United in that famous Champions League semi-final double-header which saw United become the first English side in 14 years to reach the European finale.

Roy Keane got the opening goal for the fightback in Turin in the second leg and it was the no-nonsense midfielder that Lippi, reflecting on it now, wanted to bring to Juventus when he was manager.

'I loved (Roy) Keane,' he said. 'He was very close to moving to Juventus but then failed to negotiate. I also loved (Paul) Scholes: he would have liked it anywhere and always played.

Lippi revealed that the one Manchester United player he wanted from Ferguson was Roy Keane

He had two spells in Turin but was not manager of the side beaten by United back in 1999

'(Ole Gunnar) Solskjaer was very good as a player and I hope he will do very well as a coach: he deserves it.'

Solskjaer, having previously disappointed while in charge of Cardiff, is back in English football trying to improve the fortunes of United.

Lippi himself almost arrived on English shores when Tottenham made an offer to lure him away from Turin.

'Yes, I was very close to Tottenham when I was coaching Juventus,' he said.

'They were very nice to me by contacting my son Davide. But I didn't feel like leaving Turin and Juventus. For me, Juve was like Manchester United for Ferguson: a unique club that I loved to bits.

'I didn't speak English well and that was also a reason I declined. Someone told me that Ferguson also didn't speak English well because he was Scottish!'

Even after years of competition, the Italian can still laugh when he remembers the battles with his former foe.