Ronaldinho, Sir Alex Ferguson and other insiders at the time have opened up on the Brazilian great's failed move to Manchester United in 2003.
During his five years at Barcelona, Ronaldinho became a legend of world football lifting the Champions League, La Liga and Spanish Super Cup during his time at the Camp Nou. He also won the Ballon D'or during his spell at the club in 2005.
However, his future and that of Barca and United could have been a lot different had Ronaldinho signed at Old Trafford. Speaking to GQ ahead of the release of the new FIFA+ film Ronaldinho: The Happiest Man in the World, those who were close to the negotiations at the time explained how the Brazilian midfielder was interested in moving to the Reds.
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His Brazilian teammate Kleberson, who did sign for United in 2003, detailed his conversations with the soon-to-be Barcelona legend. "Ronaldinho told me he was going to Manchester," he explained.
"He kept saying: 'Come to Manchester.' I wanted to go, but I was reluctant because I didn't speak English and United didn't have any Portuguese speakers. But Ronaldinho persuaded me and I went to Manchester."
However, Ronaldinho would not follow his international colleague, after Sandro Rosell was elected to Barcelona's board and spoke to him. Rosell explained in the film: "Ronaldinho’s brother met us both [Rosell and Joan Laporta] and Manchester United at a hotel. We were put into two separate rooms and he went from one to the other listening to and comparing offers.”
United were set to lose David Beckham in 2003 to Real Madrid and Sir Alex Ferguson explained to GQ about his thoughts regarding signing Ronaldinho. "The attempt to buy Ronaldinho reflected the fact that United have always sported talismanic players," the legendary United boss explained.
"I was always hunting for that talent. My line of reasoning was: ‘We’re getting £25million for Beckham, and we’re getting Ronaldinho for £19m.
"For God’s sake, wake up. It was a steal."
“During negotiations, we reached a point which went out of reach of what Barca could afford,” explains Rosell. At that moment the decision was made to ring the Brazil manager at the time, Felipe Scolari, to see if he would persuade Ronaldinho to move to La Liga.
When asked about that conversation, Scolari simply said: "He [Ronaldinho] doubted his ability. He needed people that appreciated him for what he really was.
"As a friend, I showed him the right path." The rest, as they say, is history and Ronaldinho would become a legend in Spain.
Discussing the choice between Barca and United, Ronaldinho claimed that his decision was an easy one. "The biggest clubs in the world are always attractive to players.
"I spoke to a lot of people at that stage, my brother negotiated this. But when Sandro Rosell offered the chance of Barcelona…”
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