In an alternative universe with an parallel timeline, Manchester City signed Cristiano Ronaldo in the final days of the 2021 summer transfer window.
City had reportedly agreed personal terms with the Portuguese superstar and his agent, and were preparing to submit a formal bid to Juventus. Everything appeared in place for one of the most sensational transfers of all time to go through - until Manchester United stepped in.
A task force including Sir Alex Ferguson and Rio Ferdinand stepped in when it looked like Ronaldo would join United's rivals, persuading both player and club that they needed each other more. City pulled out and the Reds moved in, Ronaldo's fairytale return to Old Trafford a reality.
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Who knows how happy an unlikely marriage between Ronaldo - a five-time Ballon d'Or winner - and City would have been. It's unlikely it would have gone much worse than the last 15 months at Old Trafford.
The explosive interview that Ronaldo gave to Piers Morgan - snippets of which were published late on Sunday evening - is surely the nail in the coffin of his United career. Ronaldo is arguably the most famous footballer on earth, worshipped by millions of fans not just of a red persuasion, but surely not even he can survive the backlash that will be waiting for him when he returns from the World Cup in Qatar.
"I feel betrayed and I felt that some people didn't want me here, not only this year but last too," Ronaldo - who spent all summer offering himself to numerous clubs around Europe - told Morgan.
On United boss Erik Ten Hag, he continued: "I don't have respect for him because he doesn't show respect for me. If you don't have respect for me, I'm never going to have respect for you."
Confusing truth with fiction is one thing, but publicly slagging off your own manager just as your team looks to be clicking after a poor start to the campaign? That's just career suicide.
Ronaldo scored 18 league goals in his first season back, but there were clear signs he would not have fitted in at the Etihad Stadium. City's 2-0 win at Old Trafford was an exercise in utter domination, one that ruthlessly highlighted the incompatibility of Ronaldo and a team set up to press from the front.
After replacing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ralf Rangnick soon gave up any ideas of implementing his high-octane Red Bull style at Old Trafford - he couldn't not play Ronaldo. The Austrian came and went, and in the summer was replaced by Ten Hag.
When the Dutch coach started giving Ronaldo the strict treatment Pep Guardiola would likely give to any player that underperformed or ignored his instructions, Ronaldo threw his toys out of the pram. He left the substitutes bench during United's 2-0 win against Tottenham last month and stormed down the tunnel, leaving the stadium before full-time.
He was left out of United's trip to Chelsea a few days later and made to train by himself, but was offered a reprieve when recalled for fixtures against Sheriff Tiraspol and Aston Villa. Now, whether he feels genuinely wronged or just wants to massage his ego, he has wrecked his United reputation.
Pep Guardiola and Txiki Begiristain will be absolutely delighted that things played out the way they did in the final days of August 2021. Guardiola held reservations about how Ronaldo would fit into his system, but even he could not have imagined that a player widely regarded as the ultimate professional would become such a toxic presence.
In his interview, Ronaldo - quite rightly - gave the outdated facilities and infrastructure at Old Trafford and at the Carrington training ground as evidence that United have not progressed since Ferguson left. That he has not considered that he himself is part of said outdated infrastructure is the kind of delusion of grandeur City will be happy to have avoided.
This is just the latest episode that proves City dodged a bullet last summer.
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