“Had Opportunity”: Cristiano Ronaldo Reveals He Almost Became Lionel Messi’s Teammate At This Club

Cristiano Ronaldo donned the white of Real Madrid like no one else. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner joined Los Merengues in 2009 after seven seasons at Manchester United. He spent the next seasons in the Spanish capital, winning numerous titles, including 2 LaLiga trophies and four Champions League. He left the club as their all-time leading scorer with 451 strikes in 438 competitive appearances, joining Italian Giants Juventus in the summer of 2018. During those nine seasons in Madrid, Ronaldo’s El Clasico battles with Barcelona’s Lionel Messi shaped a new era of football.

However, Ronaldo has now made a stunning revelation that he was close to joining Barcelona from Sporting Lisbon, before eventual move to the red half of Manchester in 2003.

Speaking to journalist Edu Aguirre on El Chiringuito de Jugones, Ronaldo revealed that he was initially scouted by Barcelona, before he eventually chose to join Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United.

“Yes, it was when I was playing at Sporting Lisbon and I had the opportunity to join various clubs, one of which was Barcelona,” Ronaldo told Aguirre, who is a close friend of the Portugues icon.

“I remember being with a person from Barcelona who wanted to sign me, but it didn’t happen. Maybe they wanted to bring me in, but it would have been for the following year. Then, a club like (Manchester United) came along and signed me immediately. You know how fast everything moves in football,” he added.

Given Real Madrid’s bitter rivalry with Barcelona, Ronaldo joining the Catalan giants seems unimaginable. Had he chosen a different career path, he might’ve played alongside Messi in the the Blaugrana colours.

For the unversed, Ronaldo was also approached by the then Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who admitted that not being able to sign the Portugal captain was the biggest regret of his managerial career.