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It is hard to imagine Cristiano Ronaldo playing for Barcelona alongside Lionel Messi. But that was exactly what could have happened had the Catalans signed him when they had a chance.
During a recent interview with Spanish news outlet Marca, former Barcelona president Joan Laporta has revealed one of the club agents had called him up before Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Manchester United in 2003.
The agent offered the club the chance to sign the teenager from Sporting Lisbon. The Red Devils were in talks to sign the Portuguese winger for €19m, but Barcelona were afforded the chance to secure his signature for €17m.
However, Barcelona decided not to pursue a young Cristiano Ronaldo, because they were already close to securing Ronaldinho’s signature. There were also questions about the fit as Ronaldo preferred to play out wide than through the middle.
Cristiano Ronaldo went on to join the Red Devils and etched his name into Manchester United folklore. He played at Old Trafford for six hugely successful seasons and transformed into one of the best players in the world
He eventually moved on to Real Madrid to ignite a decade-long tussle with Lionel Messi at Barcelona. The Portuguese has since switched sides to Juventus, but the comparisons between him and the Argentinean continue to persist.
Interestingly, the two superstars were only a couple of decisions away from playing together at the Camp Nou.
Laporta was in the charge of the Catalans from 2003 to 2010 and had his hand in unleashing the golden generation of Barcelona. He is in the running for the hot seat once again this month and is also the favorite to replace current head Josep Maria Bartomeu.
Barcelona had a chance to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United in 2009
Even though Cristiano Ronaldo slipped through his fingers, the former Barcelona president does not have any regrets. Ronaldinho kick-started a massive turn in fortunes at the Camp Nou and was one of the best signings of that particular decade.
Laporta also had another chance to set up a mouth-watering Cristiano Ronaldo – Lionel Messi attacking duo when the Portuguese was about to leave Manchester United in 2009.
Sir Alex Ferguson reportedly even advised Ronaldo to choose Barcelona over Real Madrid. The Catalans were also interested in the Manchester United star, but Cristiano Ronaldo had his heart set on a move to the Santiago Bernabeu.
One can only imagine what Barcelona could have achieved had they managed to secure Ronaldo when they had the chance.
