Ronaldinho told Man Utd stars he was signing for Sir Alex Ferguson before U-turn
Brazilian superstar Ronaldinho told Manchester United ‘s stars he was going to move to Old Trafford, only to change his mind at the last minute.
That’s according to Kleberson, one of the playmaker’s international team-mates. The World Cup winner spoke to Ronaldinho in the summer of 2003, with his compatriot on the verge of leaving Paris Saint-Germain, and anticipated the pair being reunited in the Premier League.
Instead, Ronaldinho opted for Barcelona, and went on to lead the Catalan club to Champions League glory in 2006. United had to wait a little longer for another European triumph of their own, though another of their summer 2003 signings, Cristiano Ronaldo, had a big part to play in that success.
“Before I signed for Manchester United, the club apparently wanted Ronaldinho as well,” Kleberson, speaking exclusively to Ladbrokes: Fanzone, explained “We played a friendly against France and Man United representatives were there watching the game.
“When I spoke with them afterwards, they told me they were watching myself and Ronaldinho. He was close to joining them with me.
“I spoke to him about it on a couple of occasions. When the guys from United came to watch us in that friendly, we spoke afterwards, really quickly. He told me “let’s go together!”
Kleberson said he was “100 per cent convinced” both players would end up at Old Trafford, right up until the moment Ronaldinho arrived at Camp Nou. “Next time I saw him, I said to him ‘hey, bro… are you kidding me?! You sent me to England where it’s raining every day, and you’re playing for Barcelona now?!” he recalled.
Ronaldinho scored more than 20 goals in his first Barcelona season, before going on to win La Liga twice and the Champions League once. Kleberson, in contrast, left Man Utd with just 30 appearances and one FA Cup trophy to his name.
Man Utd boss Alex Ferguson, who brought Kleberson to England, has also previously spoken about the failed pursuit of Ronaldinho. United had let David Beckham leave for Real Madrid that same summer, and his recollection of the incident is consistent with Kleberson’s belief that the PSG star changed his mind on where to move.
“The attempt to buy Ronaldinho reflected the fact that United have always sported talismanic players,” Ferguson told GQ. “I was always hunting for that talent.
“My line of reasoning was, ‘We’re getting £25 million for Beckham, and we’re getting Ronaldinho for £19 million. For God’s sake, wake up. It was a steal. Ronaldinho might have been (a United player) too, had he not said yes, then no, to our offer.”
