In a tribute to McManaman, four years after he left the club, ex-coach Vicente del Bosque told Spanish newspaper "AS Marca", that McManaman and Geremi were the two most important players in his squad, because "together they kept the whole team united". Del Bosque added, "I was very happy with Macca. He was a "caballero", a gentleman, a stupendous guy; he always had a smile, he never complained, he was great, a leader. He related to everyone very well; he united people. He had a bad time the end with achilles pain, but every day he trained with the same attitude. He was exemplary ... and a good footballer too, very good. A fantastic player in every sense."