Manchester United have welcomed some of the best players of all time to their famous academy, but the Red Devils have also signed a few icons.
Sir Alex Ferguson won races to bring Eric Cantona, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney to Old Trafford, all three becoming Man Utd legends.
However, as those at Old Trafford are always on the lookout for high-profile signings, they have missed out on signing some superstars over the years.
10 stars who almost signed for Man Utd
Virgil van Dijk
Now a Liverpool icon and arguably one of the best central defenders of all time, Virgil van Dijk was wanted at Old Trafford before his move to Anfield.
Jose Mourinho wanted to sign an important central defender and selected Van Dijk, Michael Keane and Victor Lindelof. Instead of spending money on the Dutchman who played for Southampton, United spent over £30m on Lindelof from Benfica.
Ronaldo
In 1996, Ronaldo was making a name for himself at PSV Eindhoven at the age of 20, scoring goals for fun in the Netherlands.
As a result, he was a wanted man, with Ferguson and his colleagues keen to bring him to Manchester. Ronaldo was even offered to United for £20million, but that was considered too much at the time, with Barcelona signing the Brazilian star instead. He went on to win the Ballon d’Or twice, in 1997 and 2002.
Ronaldinho
Another Brazilian icon who could very easily have been a Man Utd player was Ronaldinho, with Ferguson looking to replace David Beckham in 2003.
Man Utd were looking to complete a deal for Ronaldinho who was at PSG, however, after Barcelona failed to sign Beckham, they dealt the Red Devils a major blow by landing the Brazilian. United did, however, sign a striker that summer, with one Cristiano Ronaldo moving to Manchester.
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Ronaldinho’s record against Man Utd |
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Games |
2 |
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Losses |
2 |
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Goals |
1 |
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Aids |
1 |
Rivaldo
Continuing the trend of Brazilian stars missed by Man Utd brings us to Rivaldo. The Red Devils had just won the treble in 1999 and Ferguson was keen to sign the Barcelona striker.
After winning the Ballon d’Or that year, Rivaldo’s relationship with Barca manager Louis van Gaal was not great, but United narrowly missed out on securing a deal.
Patrick Vieira
One of Man Utd’s biggest rivals in the Premier League was Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira, and United actually tried to sign the Frenchman from the Gunners twice.
Ferguson believed Vieira wanted a move to Old Trafford in 2001 and 2003, and there was talk of a £22 million move once Beckham left for Real Madrid. Instead, Vieira signed a new contract to stay with Arsene Wenger.
Eden Hazard
Chelsea legend Eden Hazard looked set to sign for Man Utd in 2012 before a problem with his agent arose.
The Blues paid Lille £32million to sign the Belgian, but the deal with the Red Devils collapsed after United refused to pay Hazard’s agent £6million to complete the deal.
Instead of Hazard, Man Utd signed Shinji Kagawa from Borussia Dortmund.
Cesc Fabregas
Involved in an altercation with Ferguson at Old Trafford, Cesc Fabregas could have worked under the Red Devils coach after trying to recruit him from Barcelona in 2003.
Man Utd then tried again in 2013 under David Moyes, but two offers were rejected by those at Camp Nou, with Fabregas instead playing for Arsenal and Chelsea in the Premier League.
Zinedine Zidane
In 1996, Zinedine Zidane was leaving Bordeaux and Cantona urged Ferguson and Man Utd to bring him to Old Trafford.
Former United chairman Martin Edwards said the move failed to cross the line because Ferguson believed Zidane was not what they needed at the time, with the Frenchman instead becoming the star of Juventus and Real Madrid.
Erling Haaland
Now a Manchester City superstar, Erling Haaland could very easily have signed for the Red Devils during the 2019/20 winter transfer window.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was in charge at the time and knew Haaland from his time at Molde. However, despite talk of a move to Old Trafford, the Norwegian rejected Man Utd and instead signed for Borussia Dortmund.
Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer, the Premier League’s all-time top scorer, actually refused to join Manchester United twice. The first came in 1992 when he joined Blackburn from Southampton, and the second arrived four years later when he joined Newcastle.
Ferguson was personally involved in a deal to sign Shearer in 1996 and looked on course to have won the race, before Shearer’s agent called the Man Utd boss and told him they had decided to join Newcastle.
Gareth Bale
One of the most decorated British players of all time after winning five Champions League titles with Real Madrid is Welsh star Gareth Bale.
However, he could have signed for Man Utd instead of Tottenham in 2007, with talks of a £10 million move ahead of his move to north London. Ferguson blamed the Saints and not Bale for breaking a deal.
“He wasn’t the boy who turned us down,” Ferguson said. “It was Southampton.”
