Ronaldinho 'brought over 20 people' to Man Utd negotiations in Red Devils' failed bid to sign him as David Beckham replacement

In 2003, Ronaldinho was in the ascendancy, having just won the World Cup with Brazil a year earlier and two years out from claiming the Ballon d'Or. With David Beckham's high-profile move to Real Madrid, Sir Alex Ferguson was in search of a marquee signing to replace their English talisman.

The Brazilian’s flair, creativity, and sheer skill seemed to be the perfect match for United’s attacking ambitions. However, despite being in pole position to land him, the transfer failed to materialise, with Ronaldinho opting for a move to Barcelona from Paris Saint-Germain instead.

Former Manchester United chief executive Peter Kenyon, who held the role from 2000 to 2003, recently shed light on why the deal fell through. Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Kenyon explained that the negotiations with Ronaldinho became far more complex than the club had anticipated.

"We did chase him hard. We did look at him hard," he said. "This was the same as any other transfer. Alex [Ferguson] would be involved in it. Critical decisions, why he'd want him, where he wants him, where he would play etc. So, Alex was involved all the way through.

"Normally, in these cases, you're dealing with the player and his agent. Here, we're dealing with the player, several agents and about 20 other people in the room. He's a great player, but suddenly we're into a whole different thing. Injecting that sort of culture around training, not normally on time, which is different. The Brazilian health culture is different. Fantastic player, but there are all sorts of other things that started to get introduced into all this, and he was clearly coming with a load of people. You know what United was like at that time. It was an institution, no one got treated differently than the rest."

While missing out on Ronaldinho was a significant blow, United would later turn their attention to another young prospect - Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese winger was signed shortly after Ronaldinho decided to join Barcelona, and his impact on the club remains historic. Reflecting on the situation, Kenyon said, “It didn’t work out badly, did it?"

United have struggled to replicate their glory days since the departure of Ferguson and are currently undergoing a challenging period on the pitch, enduring a five-game winless streak. However, they will be looking to turn their fortunes around under the guidance of Erik ten Hag when they face Brentford at Old Trafford in their upcoming Premier League fixture on Saturday.