Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo revealed that he had the opportunity to sign for FC Barcelona before making a sensational move from Sporting Lisbon to Manchester United. Ronaldo's move to Barcelona collapsed, but later, he also went on to play for the Catalan giants' biggest rival, Real Madrid. The most prolific goal-scorer in football history became a prodigy at Sporting Lisbon and came under the radars of several clubs and two front-runners to sign him were Barcelona and Manchester United. If the Barcelona move materialised, the footballing could've seen the two GOATs playing together - Lionel Messi and Ronaldo.
The Portuguese legend revealed why his move to Barcelona collapsed, as things moved fast forward during the transfer window he signed for Manchester United.
"Yes, it was when I was playing at Sporting Lisbon and I had the opportunity to join various clubs, one of which was Barcelona," Ronaldo said.
"I remember being with a person from Barcelona who wanted to sign me, but it didn't happen. Maybe they wanted to bring me in, but it would have been for the following year. Then, a club like came along and signed me immediately. You know how fast everything moves in football," he added.
Earlier, Barcelona president Joan Laporta during a 2016 interview shared the details of the Blagurana's close to signing Ronaldo in the past.
"We had signed Ronaldinho, Marquez and Quaresma. We were in the process of rebuilding everything that was the club. At that time I was at Sporting Lisbon, before signing for ManU, talking to his agent who wanted to sell us Deco. We said we couldn't because we couldn't stretch our arm more than our sleeve, but he told us he had another very good boy. It was Ronaldo. He had been agreed for 19 with United, but he offered him to us for 17," Laporta told Marca.
{{/usCountry}}"We had signed Ronaldinho, Marquez and Quaresma. We were in the process of rebuilding everything that was the club. At that time I was at Sporting Lisbon, before signing for ManU, talking to his agent who wanted to sell us Deco. We said we couldn't because we couldn't stretch our arm more than our sleeve, but he told us he had another very good boy. It was Ronaldo. He had been agreed for 19 with United, but he offered him to us for 17," Laporta told Marca.
{{/usCountry}}Ronaldo had two stints at Manchester United, the first of which he netted 84 goals as a winger. He also won multiple Premier League titles and a UEFA Champions League before making his record-breaking move to Real Madrid in 2009.
Meanwhile, he returned to Manchester United in 2021, but it didn't go well for him and the club, as it ended bitterly. He and the club mutually terminated the contract after his explosive interview with Piers Morgan, in which he criticised the manager and owners of the club.