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Barcelona’s presidential candidate Joan Laporta has rivetingly revealed how the club turned down the opportunity to sign Cristiano Ronaldo for just £ 15 million in 2003.
In the summer of 2003, Ronaldo left the childhood club Sporting Lisbon for Manchester United, where he became a household name, before becoming the best player alongside Lionel Messi in world football at Real Madrid.
However, things could have been very different for Ronaldo, with Laporta, who had just begun his reign as Barça president, claiming that he might as well have been teammates with his great rival Messi, if it weren’t for the club already investing. . your money elsewhere.
“We were about to sign Ronaldinho and Rafa Márquez,” Laporta said during an interview with Iniestazo. “The people from Márquez proposed Cristiano Ronaldo to us. He was at Sporting at the time.
‘One of their agents said they had a player they had sold to [Manchester] United for 19 million, but they would sell it to us for 17 million.
But we had already invested in Ronaldinho at that time. Cristiano played wider than center. We thought we were covered so we turned it down and have no regrets. ”
Despite missing the opportunity to sign Ronaldo, Barça enjoyed great success with Brazilian icon Ronaldinho, who helped Messi burst onto the scene in style.
Ronaldinho won two LaLiga titles, a Champions League and two Spanish Cups during his five years at the Camp Nou.
The Brazilian legend also won a Ballon d’Or crown while playing for the Spanish giants in 2005.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo would begin his rise to the top of world football after joining the Premier League giants Sir Alex Ferguson.
The next Portuguese star won three Premier League titles, a Champions League, the FIFA Club World Cup, an FA Cup and two League Cups during his time at Old Trafford.
Ronaldo, who now has five Ballon d’Or crowns to his name, later signed for Barcelona’s archrival Madrid in the summer of 2009, enjoying fascinating battles with Messi throughout the years at El Clásico.
Ronaldo tormented Barcelona on many occasions during El Clásico and won two LaLiga titles, four Champions League titles, three FIFA Club World Cups and two Copas del Rey with Madrid.
The Portuguese star now continues to thrive in Italy with European giants Juventus, where he has won two straight Serie A titles.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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