Cristiano Ronaldo’s legendary reign at Real Madrid is one to remember. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner joined the Spanish club in 2009 after seven seasons at Manchester United. During his nine years at the club, Ronaldo did everything and more to win titles, which summed up a whopping haul of two La Liga trophies and four Champions League wins. With 451 goals in 438 competitive appearances, he is the club’s all-time leading scorer and has moved to Juventus in 2018. But his El Clasico duels with Lionel Messi defined a new era in football.
Now, Ronaldo has shared a strange fact: at one point, he was close to joining Barcelona. Talking to journalist Edu Aguirre of the Spanish television program ‘El Chiringuito de Jugones’, the Portuguese starlet revealed that he had been scouted by Barcelona when he still was in Sporting Lisbon, but ended up signing with Manchester United in 2003.
Yes, it was when I was playing at Sporting Lisbon and I had the opportunity to join various clubs, one of which was Barcelona. I do remember being with a person from Barcelona who wanted to sign me, but it didn’t happen. Perhaps they wanted to bring me in, but it would have been for the following year. Then, a club like (Manchester United) came along and signed me immediately. You know how fast everything moves in football.”
Had Ronaldo taken the Barcelona offer, he might have been joined by Messi, a scenario now impossible given what has happened and his past connection with Real Madrid. Ironically, Ronaldo was even approached by Wenger of Arsenal before Wenger confessed, in his latest autobiography, to missing out on signing the Portugal star as one of his worst managerial regrets.