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Liverpool were confident that they had beaten the biggest clubs in Europe until the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2003, only to be surprised by their fierce rivals Manchester United.
Sir Alex Ferguson pounced on the Sporting Lisbon star in August of that year, paying £ 12.2 million to sign him ahead of players like Barcelona, Juventus and Arsenal.
But now it has emerged that Liverpool thought they had the basis of a deal to sign Ronaldo, then one of the hottest teenagers on the planet, for just £ 4 million.
Athletic has revealed details of the Reds’ failed move, which began after seeing the future five-time Ballon d’Or winner star in a match against Porto.
After the game, Liverpool’s assistant Phil Thompson went out to dinner in the Portuguese city with soccer agent Tony Henry. Ronaldo’s price was a topic of conversation.
“I can still remember Tony’s exact words,” Thompson told The Athletic. “Everything was very nice and relaxed. “It’s £ 4 million and can be paid over the four years of your contract, so £ 1 million a year.
That seemed very reasonable to me. Then I asked about the salary and Tony told me it was £ 1 million a year, net.
Despite having reservations about Ronaldo’s salary demands, he was only 18 at the time, Liverpool were still eager to come to terms with what they saw as a ‘great talent’.
They believed they had a deal to sign the winger for £ 4m, though personal terms had yet to be worked out.
Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier also went to see Ronaldo in action, traveling to the Toulon tournament to see him play for Portugal’s under-20 team.
But then everything changed. Out of nowhere, at least from Liverpool’s perspective, Ronaldo went to Manchester United for tripling the fee they had agreed to pay.
Thompson added: “On Tuesday morning we were having lunch in training ground and he appeared on the Sky Sports yellow belt,” Manchester United have signed Cristiano Ronaldo for £ 12.2 million. “
Gerard and I almost choked on our food. I can remember Gerard jumping up and saying, “What the hell happened there?”
Liverpool had to mourn their failure to hire Ronaldo, who became one of the best players in the world during his six years at Old Trafford.
After winning three Premier League titles, a Champions League and his first Ballon d’Or award, he set out for Real Madrid in 2009 in what was then a world transfer record of £ 80 million.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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