10 Players You Probably Didn't Know Man City Almost Signed
4. Ronaldinho
In the summer 2003, Manchester United were within a cats whisker away from securing the signature of one of the most exciting talents the world has ever seen. However, at the last second, the illustrious lure of Barcelona ensared the buck-toothed trickster, who had broken English hearts in the 2002 World Cup. While Ronaldinho went on to lift a Champions League and a Ballon dOr award, the working-class city was back in for the elusive playmaker five years later. Only this time, the interest was sourced from the side starved of success since 1976.
Six weeks before Sheikh Mansours takeover, it must have been stunts like this which caught the eye of the UAE prime minister in the first place. The summer of 2008 resembled something of a soap opera for the Mancunians, with criminal tycoon Thaksin Shinawatras assets having been frozen, a big money big having been tabled for a former Ballon dOr winner, and of course, the Abu Dhabi takeover.
With incoming Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola looking to clear some of the players he deemed to be preparing for games in an unprofessional manner, he was willing to include the fan favourite in the cull, his form having deserted him. Opportunistically, City chief executive Garry Cook tabled a £25.5 million bid for the former World Cup winner, and claimed he was optimistic of concluding a deal with the world icon.
''We are offering him an opportunity that will stimulate him and enable him to get back to the level he was at before. I think it could be an interesting idea for him. Maybe what we are doing here would attract him more than going to an established Champions League club. Mark Hughes, 2008.
In the end, Ronaldinho once again snubbed an offer from the city lambasted for its rainy climate by the consistently sulky Robinho, in favour of pulling on the famous red and black stripes of AC Milan.