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Agent Victor Becali recently opened up about his and his brother's golden opportunity to represent a young Portuguese player named Cristiano Ronaldo.
At the time, the legendary footballer was on the cusp of breaking into the first team of Sporting CP. The Becali brothers, however, made a choice that, looking back, was akin to throwing away a winning lottery ticket.
Ronaldo, a young talent with a taste for luxury, asked for a Porsche as part of the representation agreement, according to the Romanian news website GSP.RO. The Becalis, unwilling to meet this demand, missed the chance to work with the player who would become one of the greatest footballers of all time.
Instead, Ronaldo found representation under Jorge Mendes, who delivered the Porsche to the forward and sealed the deal. Twenty years later, in the present day, the 'what if' lingers.
Victor Becali recently recounted this missed opportunity on Sports Gazette's morning show, GSP Live, with host Costin Stucan. Stucan, challenging his guest with a speculative exercise, asked (via GSP.RO):
"If many years ago you had signed Cristiano Ronaldo, after a career with a lot of money raised by him and automatically and by his impresario, who you could have been together with your brother, do you think you would have had money to invest in Dinamo?"
Becali's response was drenched in rueful acknowledgment of opportunities missed:
"Maybe we would have had the money to buy everything. We could have had the money to buy FCSB for more than Gigi asked for (n.r. - 25 million euros), but that's it, it wasn't to be. Now it's not with Mendes anymore. Mendes didn't want to take him to Arabia, as far as I know."
Cristiano Ronaldo then joined Manchester United from Sporting CP in 2003 and has also played for clubs like Real Madrid and Juventus over the years. He is the top scorer in world football with 837 goals for club and country and has won five Ballons d'Or.
Cristiano Ronaldo eyes a return to European football after five months
After five months of playing football in the Middle East, Cristiano Ronaldo is ready for a new challenge. According to Mundo Deportivo (via Football Transfers), the Portuguese forward is contemplating a return to Europe.
Ronaldo's journey to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia began in January. While the move raised a few eyebrows, the legendary forward silenced critics with his impressive performance on the pitch, scoring 13 goals in 17 games. Yet, it seems the allure of European football is too strong for the seasoned pro to resist.
Despite his noteworthy record in Saudi Arabia, Cristiano Ronaldo believes he still has more to offer on the European stage. The football icon's entourage are already gearing up for action, eyes set on scouting potential European clubs that could be his next destination.
