Sir Alex Ferguson was 'devastated' after missing out on Ronaldinho

Updated: 06 Apr, 2025 • 0 • min read

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Sir Alex Ferguson was 'devastated' after missing out on Ronaldinho

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The story of Sir Alex Ferguson and Ronaldinho is one of a near-miss in football transfer history.

In 2003, Ronaldinho was in the ascendancy, having just won the World Cup with Brazil a year earlier and two years out from claiming the Ballon d'Or.

And Ferguson was very keen to bring Ronaldinho, who was playing for Paris Saint-Germain at the time, to Manchester United.

The legendary manager saw the Brazilian as a potential replacement for David Beckham, who was leaving for Real Madrid.

United had made an approach at the time for Ronaldinho and were reportedly very close to securing the deal.

However, the transfer failed to materialise, with the Brazil international opting for a move to Barcelona instead.

READ MORE: Ex-Man United CEO reveals TRUTH behind failed Ronaldinho transfer in 2003
Speaking on The Obi One Podcast, former United defender Rio Ferdinand revealed that his boss was "devastated" by Ronaldinho's decision.

I remember the season when Cristiano Ronaldo signed and we went to Sporting Lisbon [and] he was actually lucky that we signed him.

It was only on the disappointment of not signing Ronaldinho that summer. We tried to sign Ronaldinho and he chose to leave Paris Saint-Germain and went to Barcelona.

I remember the manager [was] devastated.

Then on the tour - on the backend of the tour - we went to Sporting Lisbon to open the stadium with a game, Cristiano Ronaldo plays and the rest is history.

Whilst missing out on Ronaldinho was a blow, Ferguson subsequently signed Cristiano Ronaldo, which proved to be a very successful move.

Meanwhile, Ronaldinho went on to have a stellar career at Barcelona, winning numerous trophies and the Ballon d'Or.

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