Ronaldo influenced top goalkeeper to snub Manchester United

Manchester United have always had a strong pull to bring top talent to Old Trafford, thanks to their iconic stadium, and their historic rise to the top under Sir Alex Ferguson.

The Ferguson-era goes hand in hand with top-class goalkeepers, from Peter Schmeichel’s dominance in the 1990s to Edwin van der Sar’s calm authority in the late 2000s.

However, the Red Devils nearly had another top shot-stopper in their ranks toward the end of Schmeichel’s tenure, were it not for Ronaldo.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, one of those names was former Italy international Gianluca Pagliuca, who has revealed that he came close to joining United during his time at Inter.

The former Inter and Sampdoria keeper explained Ferguson wanted to bring him to Old Trafford, but that he chose to remain in Milan.

However, he’s also revealed the key factor to him rejecting the move was in fact Ronaldo, but not the one United fans first think of.

Pagliuca explained that Inter had just completed the signing of Ronaldo Nazário, and that he had no intention of walking away from the chance to play with “Il Fenomeno” whom he still calls the best player he ever saw.

Explaining the situation, the former Inter shot-stopper commented: “Ferguson wanted me, but Inter had just signed Ronaldo, and I had no intention of leaving: I was on the team with ‘Il Fenomeno,’ the best player I’ve ever seen in my entire career.

He continued: “Plus, Moratti didn’t want to sell me. The Premier League was less appealing than Serie A at the time, so today I’d probably make a different choice. Back then, all the best players came to play for us.”

Ultimately, he was settled at Inter, enjoying his football and sharing a dressing room with one of the greatest forwards of all time.

For United, the approach ultimately changed nothing in the short term, Schmeichel remained the undisputed No 1, but the story underlines how far ahead Ferguson was planning.