It is notoriously well-known that Manchester United tried to sign Real Madrid star Karim Benzema back in 2009 when it was only possible to imagine the heights he would go on to reach as a striker.
Claiming the Ballon d'Or 2022 this week, the 34-year-old has seemingly reached the peak of his powers, 18 years after bursting onto the scene in Ligue 1 with Lyon. Having now netted 400 goals for club and country, it is no wonder Sir Alex Ferguson was so keen on bringing him to Old Trafford.
Ferguson's first glimpses of Benzema up close would have no doubt come when the two sides met in the 2007/08 Champions League, as United progressed 2-1 on aggregate. It was the Frenchman who scored Lyon's goal in the home leg, as his sheer strength and deadly finishing were beginning to be talked about in and around European football.
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A further impressive season followed in 2008/09, as Claude Puel's side finished 3rd in Lyon, with the then 22-year-old hitting 23 goals in 47 appearances in his final season in France's top flight. Along came Real Madrid that very summer, forking out €41million for his services. A steal in today's very market.
For United it also marked the end of another era, as Cristiano Ronaldo joined Los Blancos that summer too, for a then mammoth record fee of £80million. The two would also form the formidable front three of BBC - [Gareth] Bale, Benzema and Cristiano) - as the trio netted 400 goals whilst together at the Bernabeu.
Ferguson and United had to act quick, and finished the following season only second to Chelsea, and were dumped out of the UEFA Champions League by Bayern Munich after a 4-4 away goals defeat squandered any chances of retaining European glory.
Michael Owen, Gabriel Obertan and Mame Biram Diouf were all brought to the club in an attempt to re-energise a depleting United forward line without the world's then-best forward talent. Carlos Tevez and Wayne Rooney formed most of a solid partnership throughout that very season, but it was Real who had the strongest hand.
For United, acquiring Benzema was never going to be easy when club president Florentino Perez flew to the French forward's house back in 2009 to secure the deal. From then, the cunning businessman made sure his side landed one of European's hottest talents, and so they did.
To that day, Benzema's only competitive goal against the Reds came in that UEFA Champions League tie between Lyon and the Reds, whilst some fans may wonder how different life could have been with one of the world's best centre forwards appropriately placed at the spearhead of United's attack...
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