Cristiano Ronaldo could've signed for Barcelona before Man Utd

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Real Madrid idol Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed that he could well have found himself lining out for Barcelona in 2003 - had things played out a little differently.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner won everything there is to win at Manchester United before his blockbuster move to the Bernabéu in 2009.

However, things could have turned out very differently had Madrid's bitter rivals Barcelona acted faster when Ronaldo was still at Sporting CP.

READ MORE: Barcelona turned down chance to sign Cristiano Ronaldo in 2003 because of Ronaldinho

Speaking in an interview with El Chiringuito, the 40-year-old recalled how the Catalan side showed serious interest in him whilst he was a teenager at the time.

It was when I was playing at Sporting Lisbon, and I had the opportunity to join various clubs, one of which was Barcelona

I remember meeting with someone from Barcelona who wanted to sign me but it didn't happen. Maybe they wanted to sign me, but that would have been for the next year.

Then a club like Manchester United came along and signed me straight away. You know how quickly things can happen in football.

Ronaldo ended up signing for United, where he would become one of the best players in football history.

The Portuguese icon followed his success at United with a glittering Madrid career in which he won La Liga twice and the Champions League four times.

I say my future as a player would have been very similar. But obviously Madrid is the biggest club in the world.

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