A former Liverpool assistant manager has revealed how close they were to signing Cristiano Ronaldo before he decided to move to Manchester United.
Ronaldo moved to Old Trafford for the first time in 2003 from Sporting in Portugal. During that time, the young forward made his name on the world stage with phenomenal performances for Sir Alex Ferguson.
That form led to a move to a big money move to Real Madrid in 2009 and the rest is history. The Portuguese ace returned to the Theatre of Dreams last year but has now made it clear to United that he wishes to move on should a 'reasonable' offer be submitted. ALSO READ: United know how to replace Ronaldo Things, however, could have been a lot different had Gerard Houllier and Phil Thompson got their way.
Speaking to Paddy Power, the latter explained how close the Merseyside club got to securing Ronaldo's signature nearly 20 years ago. "There were a few players we missed out on when I was working with Gerard Houllier at Liverpool," Thompson began. "There was one who was not, maybe, a big name at all but he did alright in life and in football. "His name was...