Sir Alex Ferguson's stunt to get one over Liverpool with Cristiano Ronaldo made me choke

Former Liverpool chiefs Phil Thompson and Gerard Houllier were left "almost choking" over their lunch as they discovered Cristiano Ronaldo had decided to join Manchester United instead of them.

Back in 2003, Liverpool thought they had convinced the then prodigious talent Ronaldo to make a move to Anfield in a deal valued at a mere £4 million - equivalent to about £7 million today. Ronaldo was turning heads worldwide with his performances for Sporting Lisbon, and Liverpool were eager to bring him on board.

Thompson previously reminisced about a meal he shared with football agent Tony Henry in Lisbon, where they appeared to iron out the details of Ronaldo's transfer to England. Yet, this agreement never materialised, and the future five-time Ballon d'Or winner chose to sign with Liverpool's arch-rivals, Manchester United instead.

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Speaking with The Athletic in 2020, Thompson recounted: "I can still remember Tony's exact words. It was all very nice and relaxed. It's £4million and it can be paid over the four years of his contract, so £1million a year. That seemed very reasonable. Then I asked about the salary and Tony told me it was £1million a year, net."

He continued, detailing the moment of surprise: "On the Tuesday morning, we were having lunch at the training ground and it came up on the yellow strap on Sky Sports, 'Manchester United have signed Cristiano Ronaldo for £12.2million'. Gerard and myself almost choked on our food. I can remember Gerard jumping up and saying, 'What the hell has gone on there?'"

Liverpool were unaware that Sir Alex