How Alex Ferguson tried to move Cristiano Ronaldo to Barça
The Portuguese was set on a move to Real Madrid and the United manager eventually relented
Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo could have been a Barcelona player. The journalist Guillem Balague, AS' correspondent in London, has written as much in a book which is released this month. In the biography on the Portuguese international, Ronaldo's move to Madrid is touched upon.
In the summer of 2008, Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, fed up of the posturing from Madrid, decided to take matters into his own hands. According to Balague, Ferguson "had pursued a Machiavellian approach of sorts, but seeing that he couldn't persuade Cristiano to stay he made contact with Barcelona to encourage them to bid. Anyone but Real Madrid."
However, Ferguson's approach didn't work. It didn't have a happy ending. Cristiano Ronaldo got his own way.
Balague adds: "But Cristiano had made up his mind about where he wanted to go. Ferguson sought a gentlemen's agreement that he'd already run by [Ronaldo's agent Jorge] Mendes. He wouldn't let him leave this year, he said, but if he behaved well over the next twelve months, if he gave enough to the club and Madrid came back with a record fee, he wouldn't stand in his way."
Topics with the letter
