Rio Ferdinand believes that not signing Karim Benzema for Manchester United is one of Sir Alex Ferguson’s "biggest regrets" from his time in charge of the club.
Benzema was in the headlines once again on Tuesday night after scoring the winner for Real Madrid in a dramatic 5-4 aggregate victory over Chelsea in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The veteran striker headed in Vinicius Junior’s cross in extra-time to clinch it for the home team, who had been reeling at 3-0 down on the night.
It was his 38th goal of the season for Real, his 83rd in the Champions League altogether and 317th in 597 appearances for the club he joined from Lyon in the summer of 2009. Having scored a hat-trick in the first leg at Stamford Bridge, Benzema is currently in the form of his life for Real – but his career could have been quite different.
Ferdinand played against the France international when he was a 21-year-old forward for Lyon and says the match nearly led to a move to Old Trafford. But despite United putting in a formal bid for him, Benzema chose Real Madrid.
"The first time I played against him was 2008, and that was the first time I had seen him up close and personal," Ferdinand said on BT Sport. "If you see the goal he scored against us, look how many players are around him, but all he needed was one touch, it was all one motion.
"I remember coming off the pitch and Sir Alex Ferguson said, ‘Don’t worry, I’m trying to get him’. But with his African connections, and how influential Real Madrid were, he chose them. I think looking back, Sir Alex will believe that is one of his biggest regrets not getting him to sign for the club."
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Real Madrid paid a fee in the region of £25million for Benzema. According to Lyon owner and president, Jean-Michel Aulas, United actually offered a better financial package, but Benzema was determined to move to Madrid, not Manchester.
"When Karim was solicited to leave Lyon, we had two offers: Manchester United and Real Madrid," he said on beIN Sports in 2019. "Karim, like Nabil Fekir, came to see me, and that’s where there’s relationships that show trust, and told me ‘My dream is to play for Real Madrid’. And so he went to Real Madrid for an inferior fee to what we had from Manchester United."
Ferguson was keen to pair Benzema with Wayne Rooney up front, but it was not to be in the summer of 2009. United ended up signing Michael Owen on a free transfer, while Mame Biram Diouf, Antonio Valencia and Gabriel Obertan all also came through the door ahead of the 2009/10 season.
