Mark Fish confirms he turned down Manchester United transfer

Some opportunities in football can change everything in an instant.

A single decision can define a player’s career and shape the history of a club.

Every transfer window, agents, contracts, and negotiations create high-stakes moments behind the scenes that fans rarely see.

Stories of near-moves and almost-signings often remain untold, until someone decides to speak out.

One of those moments involved a South African defender who came close to joining Manchester United, the club he had supported since childhood.

Speaking in the documentary Class of 96: Rise of a Nation, Mark Fish revealed how he was set to make the leap to Old Trafford before ultimately choosing a move to Lazio instead.

Mark Fish explained that his representatives had set up meetings with both clubs, giving him the chance to meet former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and watch a match at Goodison Park against Everton.

Despite the emotional pull of joining his boyhood club, contractual obligations led him to Italy, and within hours of meeting the Lazio coach, he signed a deal that would take him to Serie A.

The financial side of the transfer added another twist.

Fish was co-owned by Orlando Pirates and Jomo Cosmos, with Cosmos owner Jomo Sono holding a 50% stake.

What Fish had understood as a split of £800,000 to the clubs, £400,000 to himself, and £400,000 to agents, was suddenly challenged when Sono and Irvin Khoza demanded the full £1.6 million from Lazio, who allegedly paid in full.

At just 22 years old, Fish didn’t contest it, focusing instead on making his mark in Italy, leaving fans to wonder what might have been had he joined Manchester United.

Despite the twist in the transfer, Mark Fish went on to build a successful career in Europe, leaving fans to ponder the what-ifs of Old Trafford.

There has been plenty of players who has turned down a move to United in the past, with the latest being former Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos.