5 times clubs hijacked others' transfer deals

#2 Ronaldinho to Barcelona (hijacked from Manchester United)

FC Barcelona v Real Betis — Barcelona signed Ronaldinho after missing out on Beckham

And the player Barcelona hijacked from Manchester United was Ronaldinho. The Alex Ferguson-managed side had been heavily linked with a move to the Old Trafford and was expected to fill the void left by Beckham at the club.

Several top clubs from Europe had expressed their interest in the then Paris Saint-Germain star, but it emerged that Manchester United had won the race for the Brazilian. Enter Barcelona and things take a wild turn.

Like the Catalan club's latest signing Malcom, Ronaldinho was also on the brink of boarding a plane (Manchester in the 38-year-old's case) when the club made an offer. A last minute bid of around £30 million was accepted by PSG and the player ended up in Spain.

It was a heartbreak for Manchester United to see their top target being signed by someone else, but it all got cured when the club signed a young talent by the name of Cristiano Ronaldo.

About the author

Dakir is a European and Indian football journalist at Sportskeeda with an overall experience of 10 years. Holding a Master’s degree in Journalism & Mass Communication, and currently pursuing Master’s in Sports Journalism from Sheffield Hallam University, he is a seasoned football journalist who has interviewed the likes of former Liverpool star John Arne Riise, covered the entire 2022-23 Indian Super League season of the Kerala Blasters, and has delivered a seminar at an international conference held by St. Albert's College, Ernakulam.

Thanks to his extensive academic background in journalism, Dakir understands the importance of accuracy and spends a significant amount of time researching the subject. In today’s data-driven world of football, where players are perceived as machines, he prides himself amplify the voices of the people that make football the beautiful game that it is.

He started following football in 2013, and more specifically, Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool, and admires Jurgen Klopp for his untouched charisma and unmatched legacy. A perpetual underdog supporter, he is a fan of under-fire Reds forward Darwin Nunez and can’t wait for him to show the world what he truly is. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s iconic “corner taken quickly” corner assist for Divock Origi in Liverpool’s 4-0 UCL semifinal win over Barcelona left a lasting impact on him.

When not writing, Dakir enjoys indulging in his guilty pleasure - watching mass commercial movies.

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Edited by Kishan Prasad