“We rejected it and I don’t regret it.
Barcelona have reportedly rejected the opportunity to sign young Cristiano Ronaldo for a modest € 17million in 2003, according to former president Joan Laporta.
Ronaldo was reportedly offered to the Catalan giants before his move to Manchester United, but Laporta rejected the offer and claims he does not regret the decision.
Ronaldo moved to Man United and achieved legendary status for his exploits at the club. He continued in the same vein of goals, even after moving to Real Madrid in Spain and then Juventus in Italy.
The 35-year-old has etched his name as one of the greatest in the game and is only rivaled by Lionel Messi in modern play.
Ronaldo would end up playing for Barcelona rivals Real Madrid, but things could have been very different had Laporta accepted the initial offer.
“We were close to signing Ronaldinho and Rafa Marquez,” Laporta said in an interview with Iniestazo.
“The people of Marquez offered us Cristiano Ronaldo. He was at Sporting at the time.
“One of his agents said they had a player they sold to [Manchester] United for € 19m, but they would sell him € 17m.
“But we had already invested in Ronaldinho at the time. Cristiano played wider than the center. We thought we were covered so we rejected it and I don’t regret it.
Although Barce missed Ronaldo, former Brazilian great Ronaldinho has enjoyed considerable success with the Blaugrana during his five years.
After switching to rivals Real Madrid, Ronaldo has faced Barcelona on several occasions, becoming the Clasico de Madrid top scorer with 18 goals.
????️ “It was amazing – probably the best of my career. ”
Sensational kick from Cristiano Ronaldo in Turin ???? # UCL | #TBT | @realmadriden pic.twitter.com/5NCkQ6merM
– UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) 14 janvier 2021
The Portugal captain scored 450 insane goals in just 438 games during his nine-year stint with Los Blancos before moving to Turin in 2018 for € 100million.
He has since won two Serie A titles with Juventus, but it remains to be seen whether he will manage to secure a third in the 2020-21 season, with Andrea Pirlo’s side sitting fourth in the table, at seven points from the leader of AC Milan.
Find out more about: Barcelona, Cristiano Ronaldo, Joan Laporta, Manchester United, Real Madrid
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