Rio Ferdinand, former Manchester United defender and legend, revealed that the English club was very close to signing Ronaldinho Gaúcho. However, the player ended up heading to Barcelona, ​​and another Ronaldo ended up being hired…

“We were about to sign Ronaldinho, who at the time was playing for PSG. Ferguson was devastated because the Brazilian went to Barcelona. Then we went on tour and played against Sporting at their stadium. We signed Cristiano Ronaldo, and the rest is history. .”, said the former defender in statements to the podcast “The Obi One”.

“Ronaldo was lucky that we signed him, it was the disappointment of not being able to sign Ronaldinho this summer,” he added.

While playing for United, Cristiano Ronaldo won three Premier Leagues, one Champions League and even his first Ballon d’Or.

At the time, the Red Devils were looking for a replacement for the departure of one of their great stars, David Beckham, who left that season for Real Madrid. Ronaldo and Ronaldinho both ended up having success at both Manchester United and Barcelona.