David Gill, the former chief executive of Manchester United, has shed light on the transfer saga involving Ronaldinho, explaining why negotiations didn’t materialize as expected.
Back in the summer of 2003, Ronaldinho, then playing for Paris Saint-Germain, was on the brink of joining United for a reported fee of £19 million.
Former United midfielder Kleberson, who was at the club from 2003 to 2005, later disclosed how close Ronaldinho was to moving to Old Trafford. “Ronaldinho told me he was going to Manchester,” Kleberson revealed. “He kept saying to me, ‘Come to Manchester!'”
However, despite intense speculation, Ronaldinho opted to sign with Barcelona, leaving United fans puzzled and disappointed, considering they believed they had secured one of the world’s top talents. Now, more than two decades later, David Gill has provided insights into this near-miss transfer.
In a conversation with Rio Ferdinand on his VIBE with Five podcast, Gill revealed, “To me, we were never that close. We met with his brother Roberto Assis, who was his agent. We discussed it… we nearly got an agreement on the wages and what we paid the agents.”
Gill, with years of experience in football transfers, admitted that negotiations with Ronaldinho’s camp were not ideal. “I just didn’t get a good vibe,” he said. “I just felt if Barcelona hadn’t been there, we’d have got him. But if Barcelona were there, they were clearly his first choice.”
Despite the close proximity to signing Ronaldinho, Gill acknowledged Barcelona’s influence. “If they hadn’t come up with the goods, we’d have had all of the deal done. I don’t think it was anything we’d done wrong; it was just that Barcelona had come in. We were close but no cigar.”
Ronaldinho himself has confirmed the closeness of the deal, stating, “I had that chance and I was really close, but in the end, I decided to sign for Barcelona.”
