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The Hilarious Reason Why Ronaldinho Didn't Sign For Manchester United

The Hilarious Reason Why Ronaldinho Didn't Sign For Manchester United

He was "on the brink" of moving to Old Trafford.

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

We never got to see the legendary Ronaldinho strut his stuff in the Premier League but the Brazilian was close to making the move.

The 2005 Ballon d'Or winner was most recently linked with a move to Blackburn in 2011, with owners Venkys ambitiously bidding £6 million for his services, whilst he also admitted he was tempted by Manchester City's project in 2008.

But the closest R10 came to playing in the top flight was when he was on the verge of signing for Manchester United in 2003.

Image: PA

Then at Paris Saint-Germain, Ronaldinho instead moved to Barcelona and cemented his place as the best footballer in the world.

Speaking in an interview, the 34-year-old said:

"Everything happened very quickly. A good friend of mine who was running to be on the Barcelona board, Sandro Rosell, had asked me if I'd play for Barcelona when they won the election and I told him that I would.

"I was on the brink of joining Manchester United, there were just a few details to iron out, but Rosell called me at the last minute to tell me that they were going to win the election.

"That made everything happen very fast".

Image: PA

Ahead of a legends game between Manchester United and FC Barcelona players of the past on Friday, former United man Quinton Fortune has been speaking about Ronaldinho's proposed move to United and his reasoning for the transfer not materialising is hilariously brilliant.

Speaking to United's official website:

"I think we got it wrong by bringing Ronaldinho in at the wrong time of year as it was raining that day he arrived at Manchester Airport. Maybe it was summer anyway but, if we'd have timed it with the right day, it could have been a different story.

"It would have been absolutely amazing to have him here. He's one of the greatest players ever to play football and entertained with his skill, fun and joy. He brought it all and it will be a great occasion for everyone to play against him and watch him.

"I was very fortunate to play for South Africa against him in the Olympics in front of 72,000 fans but, when he was at Barcelona, he was a different Ronaldinho so I'm hoping we get a glimpse of that and I hope I won't have to mark him!"

United legends take on Barcelona's icons at the Nou Camp on Friday in the first of two games between the titans.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Ronaldinho, Football, Manchester United, Barcelona, PSG