Due to one crucial demand, Cristiano Ronaldo almost signed for Manchester United’s longtime Premier League foe Liverpool.
In 2003, Ronaldo agreed to a £12.24 million transfer from Sporting Lisbon to United, which is regarded as one of the best deals ever.
While playing for the Old Trafford club, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner won three straight Premier League championships, the Champions League, and the FIFA Club World Cup, solidifying his status as one of, if not the greatest player United has ever had.
Later, in 2009, he moved to Real Madrid, where he went on to win four more Champions League titles and establish himself as the team’s all-time leading scorer.
Ronaldo moved to Juventus in 2018, reportedly for £88 million, and played there for three seasons before making a troubled return to Manchester United.
The move came to a dramatic conclusion with manager Erik ten Hag’s bitter exit after the Portuguese superstar attacked him in an interview. If he had joined Liverpool, things might have been quite different.
While Ronaldo was a member of Sporting Lisbon, the Reds were rumored to be interested in signing him. However, the teen’s wage requests were seen to be unreasonable by the boss at the time, Gerrard Hollier.
“I saw [Ronaldo] in the Toulon under-21 tournament and we went for him,” he said (quotes via The Express). “But we had a wage scale and we weren’t paying the sort of salary he wanted.
“Then Manchester United played a friendly against Sporting Lisbon and all their boys said to Sir Alex Ferguson: ‘You have to sign him’. But I agreed with not breaking the wage structure. I thought it would cause problems in our dressing room.”