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‘Devastated’… Rio Ferdinand says Sir Alex Ferguson almost signed Brazil legend for Man United
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has now been recalling a moment when Sir Alex Ferguson almost made an iconic signing at the club.
Ferdinand had an illustrious career at Man United, winning six Premier League titles and a Champions League medal under Ferguson.
The defender played alongside some of the game’s greats, and has woven himself into United’s rich history.
That being said, Ferdinand may struggle to see similarities in Erik ten Hag’s squad today.
Perhaps Bruno Fernandes is the only player close to stitching his name into United folklore, but even he has a way to go.
It’s clear that ten Hag needs a new signing or two to boost the club’s fortunes be it this month or in the summer.
But when speaking on ‘’ recently, Rio Ferdinand was focusing on a signing Manchester United missed out on in the past under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Despite the debacle leading to the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo, Ferdinand mentioned that his manager was devastated to miss out on a move for Ronaldinho beforehand.
Rio Ferdinand recalls how Sir Alex Ferugson wanted to bring Ronaldinho to Man United
Speaking on the podcast, Ferdinand said that his manager was so close to signing Brazilian legend Ronaldinho before he decided to move to Barcelona instead in 2003.
Ferdinand said: “I remember when Cristiano Ronaldo signed we went on tour to Lisbon and he was actually lucky that we signed him.
“It was only on the disappointment of not signing Ronaldinho that summer.
“I remember we were going to sign Ronaldinho but he chose to leave PSG for Barcelona. The manager was absolutely devastated.
“Then on the tour he went to Sporting Lisbon to open the stadium, Cristiano Ronaldo plays and the rest is history.”
Of course, it’s interesting to consider how United’s history would have changed if Ronaldinho arrived instead of Cristiano.
Fans may expect that both would have propelled the club to the trophies they won in the years that followed the summer that Ferdinand refers to.
However, it’s hard not to imagine just how incredible Ronaldinho could have been at Old Trafford.
Sir Alex Ferugson clearly enjoyed brilliant talent identification whilst at Man United, that’s why Rio Ferdinand was there in the first place.
But sadly the same can’t really be said for the club nowadays.
Whilst ten Hag will want new players, those that are being signed aren’t always making a difference – with Jadon Sancho and Antony being two clear examples.
And with United potentially needing a striker this month, Roy Keane has actually declared the best finisher he ever played with at the club.