Usually Barcelona signing a superstar of the magnitude of Ronaldinhos ilk is nothing shocking at all, however there was one man who made it just that - David Beckham. With a high-profile exit on the cards at Old Trafford in 2003, Barcelona presidential election candidate Joan Laporta used that to his full advantage, promising to sign the England captain if elected. With PSGs World Cup winning Brazilian superstar seemingly on his way to Old Trafford to replace Beckham, Laporta was elected and vice-president Sandro Rosell stated that he was confident of persuading the former Man United winger to join. However, as soon as David Beckham referred to himself as a political pawn in relation to Laportas bid to win the election, the writing was on the wall for his decision to move to the Santiago Bernabeu instead. That ultimately spelt bad news for Manchester United, however, as their pursuit of Ronaldinho would end in disappointment when the Catalans hijacked the deal, with the Brazilian 48 hours from signing at Old Trafford.
''It almost happened with United. It was a matter of 48 hours, but Sandro Rosell had told me way before I got the offer: If I become Barca president, will you come? I said yes. It was the right choice. Brazilians have always loved Barca. We have a history there. - Ronaldinho, July 2014.
In the end, Manchester United signed a 17 year old winger by the name of Cristiano Ronaldo instead, so really, didnt everyone win?
Recent Journalism & New Media graduate. Insatiable thirst for all things football, and hopes to break into the field of sports journalism in the near future.
Have made a significantly insignificant playing career out of receiving several slaps around the head for not passing the ball.
