Sir Alex Ferguson was one of the most liked and brilliant managers the sport has ever seen and he managed to create a lot of history with Manchester United, who have been struggling since he left. One of them was the signing and nurturing of a young Cristiano Ronaldo when the world didn’t even know about the young kid from Portugal.
The normal story points out how the Red Devils went on a training tour to Lisbon, Portugal and faced Sporting CP in a friendly match in the newly built stadium. Sir Alex Ferguson instantly identified the young kid as a talent and bought him from the Portuguese club in subsequent days. But the recent revelations just add more spice to this tale.
Rio Ferdinand reveals Cristiano Ronaldo got lucky with Man Utd transfer
Rio Ferdinand, then Manchester United player, recently said to The Obi One podcast that Ronaldo got lucky that he was signed by Sir Alex Ferguson during that time as the manager wanted to sign someone else but wasn’t able to, which made him really frustrated.
According to Ferdinand, Sir Alex Ferguson wanted to sign then-PSG player Ronaldinho after he had just won the 2002 World Cup with the Brazil National Team. But since the manager wasn’t able to sign him, he was really frustrated and went on to sign the young CR7 from Portugal.
"Estivemos perto de contratar o Ronaldinho, mas ele preferiu o Barcelona. Ferguson ficou devastado. Cristiano Ronaldo teve sorte pelo fato de o United tê-lo contratado. Foi apenas pela desilusão de não ter conseguido o Ronaldinho naquela época."
— sportv (@sportv) January 23, 2024
– Rio Ferdinand, ao podcast The… pic.twitter.com/NcMZCRMchx
The Red Devils signed Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer of 2003 and went on to win three consecutive Premier League titles and a Champions League in 2008. He has played nearly 346 games for the Red Devils and scored 145 goals with 64 assists for the side. Such brilliant performances got him the transfer to Real Madrid, where he created many histories, when he was sold to the Spanish side for the then-record transfer fee of €94.00 million.
Sir Alex Ferguson failed to sign Ronaldinho
Four years ago, former Manchester United player Paul Scholes also stated about the almost-done signing of Ronaldinho by the Red Devils which changed at the very last moment. He told the BBC’s post that Sir Alex Ferguson was very fond of the player and had also finalized the squad number to give to the Brazilian once he joined the squad.
“I remember two or three that were possibly coming. I think the one that stands out is Ronaldinho.”
“He was away on pre-season and we were as close as announcing him and giving him a number, but I think he ended up changing his mind at the last minute and signing for Barcelona.”
The Brazilian had just won the World Cup for the national team and was already in high demand across Europe, with Italian giants AC Milan, English giants Manchester United and Spanish giants Barcelona deeply interested. The Brazilian ditched the Manchester United move at the last minute and eventually joined Barcelona from PSG for €32.25 million, then went on to be a really crucial player for the club.
In his time at the club, the 2002 World Cup winner managed to provide 94 goals and 70 assists in 207 matches for the club in all competitions, in addition to the fan-loving displays and tricks on the pitch. He also helped the team win one Champions League and two La Ligas during his time there.
Seeing the bigger picture, we could say that the Brazilian Ronaldinho had a massive hand in the career of both of the players – Messi and Ronaldo – who marked an era in the EL Classico history and dominated world football for the next decade.
Can you imagine what the football world might look like currently if Ronaldinho’s move to Manchester United had progressed? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
