“I was gutted!” – Agent reveals how PL rivals let United sign Cristiano Ronaldo in 2003 – report

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the finest players to have ever worn the Manchester United shirt. The Portuguese superstar arrived at the Theatre of Dreams in the summer of 2003 as a relatively unknown face, but would go on to become a household name. The player, who was on Sporting’s books, reportedly convinced the Premier League giants after impressing in a pre-season game that summer. Rumour has it that United players urged the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson to secure the teenager’s signature right after the game. The fiery Scot agreed, a deal was struck for a reported £12 million, and the rest, as they say, is history. Transforming into a world-beater at Old Trafford Ronaldo was a bag of tricks from day one in the Premier League, and soon, under the watchful eye of Sir Alex, he transformed into a goalscoring machine. The Portuguese was a key part of the fabled 2007/08 squad that won the league and Champions League double. They were two games away from another treble before suffering a shock 1-0 FA Cup sixth-round defeat at the hands of eventual winners Portsmouth. It was also a season in which Ronaldo introduced himself to the world, scoring 42 goals from 49 games in all competitions. He subsequently won the Ballon d’Or in 2008, stayed another season at the Theatre of Dreams, and left as a club legend in the summer of 2009 to join Real Madrid. However, the Portuguese could have been plying his trade in London instead of Manchester if fate had played a different hand. Chelsea turned down Ronaldo According to football agent Barry Silkman, Chelsea were offered the chance to sign Ronaldo before United, but they decided against the move. Speaking to The Telegraph, the agent said: “I did a deal with [Ronaldo’s agent] Jorge Mendes. But Chelsea said no.” “Cristiano Ronaldo was €3.5m and the deal was everything over that was split 50-50 with the club. He played against Man United pre-season, ruined them and straight after the game they paid €11.5m and Jorge must have stuck four million in his pocket. Good luck to him but I was gutted!” After conquering Spain with Real Madrid and Italy with Juventus, Ronaldo made a fairytale return to Old Trafford in the summer of 2021. Unfortunately, he fell out with former manager Erik ten Hag, and ultimately left the club in December 2022 to move to Al-Nassr. By then, the Portuguese had scored 145 goals and registered 73 assists in 346 games for the English giants over two stints. He won nine trophies during his time at Old Trafford, including the Premier League, the Champions League, the FA Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup, the Community Shield, and the EFL Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo Stats By Club ClubAppearancesGoalsAssistsYellow CardsRed CardsMinutes Played Real Madrid43845013154437,835′ Manchester United3461457350226,584′ Juventus FC1341012813111,508′ Al-Nassr FC1171042112110,303′ Sporting CP31561-1,392′ Total :1066805259130887,622′ Source: Transfermarkt. Final Thoughts Chelsea’s loss turned out to be United’s gain, and fans had the pleasure of watching an exciting talent mature into one of the best players in history at the Theatre of Dreams. Ronaldo’s story is a powerful example of United’s faith in youth, which has been the cornerstone of their success. It is a culture that INEOS must build on if they are to return the Red Devils to their former glory. The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Deepungsu Pandit Deepungsu has been a Manchester United fan since 2000. In his playing days, he was an attacking midfielder with a proclivity for the back heel. Right now, however, he prefers to operate as a regista. Deepungsu has been writing about the Red Devils, Football, and other things since 2009. He has worked for over seven years with Sportskeeda, writing football reviews, opinions and news articles. Deepungsu also maintains a blog, The Thinking Me, where he writes about life and things that interest him. His favourite Manchester United player is Paul Scholes.