Jamie Carragher reveals just how close Liverpool were to signing Cristiano Ronaldo before he joined rivals Man United in 2003
- Jamie Carragher claims Liverpool wanted Cristiano Ronaldo earlier
- The Portuguese superstar became a Premier League icon at Manchester United
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Jamie Carragher has revealed how Liverpool narrowly missed out on signing Cristiano Ronaldo to rivals Man United during his time at Anfield.
Ronaldo became a Premier League legend at Old Trafford, where he developed into a generational talent under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson.
The 39-year-old developed into a world-class star at United before moving to Real Madrid in 2009 for a then record-breaking transfer fee of £80million after six years in England.
During his time at United, the club won the Champions League, three Premier League titles and the FA Cup, while he won his first Ballon d’Or.
Carragher has long admired Ronaldo’s successful career and told how the Portuguese superstar could have played for Liverpool before signing for United from his boyhood club Sporting Lisbon.
Jamie Carragher has revealed how Liverpool narrowly missed out on Cristiano Ronaldo for rivals Man United
Ronaldo became one of the best players in the world during his formative years at Old Trafford, while Carragher played at Anfield
The Liverpool icon also praised Ronaldo’s attacking qualities, where he spent the best years of his career and scored more than 700 first-team goals, admitting he was the type of player the Reds didn’t have at the time.
When asked how close Liverpool were to beating United, Carragher said: the overlapoffered by Sky Betting: ‘When he eventually signed for United I think we wanted him.
‘That was when Gerard Houllier and Phil Thompson – Phil Thompson tells the story that he thought we had him.
‘He spoke to the agent and before you knew it, it was on Sky Sports News: ‘Ronaldo has gone to United’. And I thought about what we were probably missing in the best teams I played in, Liverpool.
Ronaldo later made a magical return to United, where he starred for the club for a season
‘I think over a 10-year period we’ve had world-class players or great players in every position, but I don’t think we’ve ever had a world-class player on the wings.
‘Listen, in the late eighties we had the best player in John Barnes, but if you survive the nineties I don’t think we’ve ever had a player of that calibre.’
Ronaldo returned to United in 2021, where he starred for the club for one season but failed to win a single trophy.
He then left on tense terms, as his contract was terminated by mutual consent in November 2022 after a disagreement with manager Erik ten Hag.
Jamie Carragher spoke at the Overlap, offered by Sky Betting.