Manchester United Made 'Great Decision' Signing Cristiano Ronaldo Over Ronaldinho, Ex-Chief Says

Former Manchester United chief executive Peter Kenyon has opened up about the decision to sign a teenage Cristiano Ronaldo over Ronaldinho in 2003 and why it turned out to be the right one.

Nearly two decades ago, Premier League giant Manchester United made a move that completely changed modern soccer. It can be recalled that in 2003, United sold its former superstar, David Beckham, to Real Madrid and signed a teenage Ronaldo from Sporting Lisbon after failing to bring in Brazilian icon Ronaldinho.

In a recent interview with The Telegraph, ex-United chief Kenyon looked back at what has become one of the greatest signings in the history of the sport. According to Kenyon, the Red Devils were keen on landing Ronaldinho at the time, and the young Ronaldo was just an alternative.

When the Ronaldinho deal failed, some even blamed him for his role in the Ronaldo deal. However, Kenyon revealed that United ended up pulling away due to the overwhelming finances involved.

“We did try really hard for Ronaldinho. And in the end, we offered what was a load of money even by our standards and there came a point…Getting the player just for the amount of money paid didn’t sit well at United. There was a decision that if he is right and we do want him we will pay because we could,” Kenyon explained.

“It crossed the line and on reflection – and this is not about his [Ronaldinho’s] ability – it turned out to be a great decision,” he added.

In the end, United chose to let Ronaldinho go. Instead, the club turned its sights on to Portuguese winger Ronaldo, who would later become one the greatest players in football history.

Kenyon said the initial plan was to sign Ronaldo and send him back on loan to Sporting for another season. However, things took a turn after Sir Alex Ferguson witnessed his performance against United in a pre-season friendly in August 2003.

The young Portuguese’s impressive performance changed Ferguson’s mind, and the latter instructed Kenyon to make Ronaldo stay at Old Trafford.

“I got a call at half-time saying, ‘Rather than leave him here, can we take him home please?’” Kenyon revealed.

“So the team left the next day and I stayed to do it. That’s where Alex was absolutely amazing. He sold Manchester United better than anybody. He never over-promised but he got people wanting to be there,” he continued.

From that point on, Ronaldo rapidly developed into a superstar under Ferguson’s tutelage and the rest was history.