Brazilian legend Ronaldinho has revealed he was only 48 hours away from joining Manchester United, before ultimately joining Barcelona.
The samba star was heavily linked with a move to join Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United back in 2003, but has now revealed that only a previous agreement with Barcelona president Sandro Rosell put the brakes on the deal and ultimately saw him join the Catalan club.
“It almost happened with United,” he told FourFourTwo.
“It was a matter of 48 hours, but Sandro Rosell had told me way before I got the offer: ‘If I become Barca president, will you come?’ I said ‘yes.’
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“It was only a matter of details with United when Rosell called to say he was going to win the elections there.
“And I had promised to him that I’d play for Barca. It was a quick negotiation.
“I told the English I had chosen Barca. It was the right choice. Brazilians have always loved Barca. We have a history there.
“Off the pitch it is like nowhere else in Europe, so we are always happy playing there. I miss Barcelona a lot. I had five fantastic seasons there, at a club that likes strikers and talented players.”
Ronaldinho would go on to become one of the greatest players the game has ever seen, leaving United fans wondering what could have been.
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