In the hours since Walter Smith 's tragic passing was announced, we've been regaled with countless tales about the mark he left on Rangers, Scotland and far beyond.
What's lesser known about the great man's career, however, is the time he spent alongside Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.
Before he was recruited by the SFA's top brass to take the Scotland job, Smith was brought in as Ferguson's right hand man.
His arrival coincided with that of Cristiano Ronaldo; then a talented, if raw Portuguese youngster with the world at his feet.
Would Ronaldo have gone on to become one of the greatest players of all time had he not crossed paths with Smith?
Not according to Darren Fletcher, who shared a story about an unconventional coaching method from Smith that taught Ronaldo what it takes to be one of the best.
And it was simple: give his teammates license to kick him.
Fletcher told beIN Sports: "He frustrated the life out of everybody, and everybody thought if he could learn...[he'd be a great player].
"Eventually Walter Smith came in and decided not to give fouls in training.
"So when Ronaldo was doing his skills, not passing and taking the mick, the lads were fouling him. For two weeks, Ronaldo was tearing his hair out. He was going bananas.
"What happens after a few weeks? Ronaldo starts moving the ball because he's sick of getting kicked.
"Now he starts playing one and two touch, and running. Now he starts getting goals. It starts to click in his head. 'Now I'm starting to score goals and make an impact on games.'
"That was the beginning of Ronaldo's transition."
The great coaches know that different players require different treatment, however. While Ronaldo was given some tough love, Smith's method to get the best out of Brian Laudrup was a little more soft-handed.
The Rangers hero wrote in his Mail column on Wednesday about how Smith welcomed him to Ibrox with a car journey to Loch Lomond in 1994. During the 40-minute trip, he offered some words of wisdom which Laudrup says changed his life forever.
He said: "Walter said to me: 'Brian, you will get all the freedom on the park you could wish for. The only thing I want in return is that you have to make the difference.'
"It was a turning point in my career. Without question. I've mentioned many times before that I had two very difficult years in Italy. I wanted to be somewhere I could really enjoy the game again.
"Walter made that happen. From 1994 onwards, so much changed in terms of how I felt about football and also the success I achieved. I loved working with him at Rangers and that fed into how I played with Denmark, too."
