Before joining Real Madrid and breaking all sorts of goal scoring records, Cristiano Ronaldo could have joined none other than Barcelona.
According to an article published by Spanish newspaper As, Manchester United's former boss Sir Alex Ferguson tried to block the deal between CR7 and Real Madrid, as he didn't like the way Los Blancos tried to lure the player away from Old Trafford.
Knowing that there was no way for the team to keep the Portuguese ace around, the report states Ferguson contacted Blaugrana officers and encouraged them to bid for his most talented player. Barcelona made an attempt to sign him, but CR7 had made up his mind.
This story goes back to the 2007-2008 season, as former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderón tried to lure Cristiano away from Old Trafford. With the help of super agent Jorge Mendes, CR7 managed to put everything in place to see the Portuguese striker walking away to La Liga, but Ferguson successfully convinced CR7 to extend his contract with the Red Devils. Later that year, Manchester United would win the UEFA Champions League, and CR7's agent included a 75 million buyout clause inside the player's contract, an amount Real Madrid would be more than happy to pay one year later.
Sir Alex Ferguson & CR7, back in the 2012-2013 season.
Once Cristiano Ronaldo and his agent had made up their minds about where the Portuguese ace would play next, Ferguson twisted Mendes' arm to force Real Madrid to present a world-record fee by the end of the 2008-2009 season. The Portuguese agent agreed, and finally Ronaldo ended up being unveiled as Los Blancos' superstar.
