“I could have played for Barcelona before Manchester United” - Cristiano Ronaldo makes big revelation about transfer

Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed that he was close to signing for Barcelona before his move to Manchester United. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner notably joined the Red Devils for a first stint in 2003 where he established himself as one of the best footballers in the world.

During a recent interview with his friend Edu Aguirre, the Al-Nassr forward disclosed that the Catalan giants attempted to secure his services a year before he was snapped up by United. He said (via Fabrizio Romano on X):

"I could have played for Barca before Manchester United. I was at Sporting, they tried to sign me. They wanted me but one year after…then Manchester United appeared."

Ronaldo joined Manchester United as an 18-year-old from boyhood club Sporting CP back in 2003. The Portuguese legend caught the attention of former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson after impressing during a friendly against the Premier League giants.

The Red Devils shelled out a reported £12 million - a then-Premier League record fee for a teenager - to bring Ronaldo to Old Trafford, making him the first Portuguese player to sign for the club.

He spent six seasons at Old Trafford, winning multiple trophies and the first of his five Ballon d'Or awards before leaving for Real Madrid in 2009. Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Manchester United in 2021 for a second spell but left the club on a controversial note one year later.

In 346 games across two stints for the Red Devils, Ronaldo scored 145 goals and provided 64 assists.

When Barcelona's president claimed the club rejected the chance to sign Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo's recent revelation about Barcelona's interest in him backs up Joan Laporta's claim that the club almost signed him in 2003. Speaking to Marca in 2016, Laporta disclosed that the Catalan giants rejected the chance to add the Portuguese to their ranks.

"We had signed Ronaldinho, Marquez and Quaresma. We were in the process of rebuilding everything that was the club. At that time I was at Sporting Lisbon, before signing for ManU, talking to his agent who wanted to sell us Deco. We said we couldn't because we couldn't stretch our arm more than our sleeve, but he told us he had another very good boy. It was Ronaldo. He had been agreed for 19 with United, but he offered him to us for 17," said Laporta.

Cristiano Ronaldo went on to face Barcelona 34 times playing for Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus. He recorded 20 goals and three assists against La Blaugrana.