“The plan was that he would stay at Sporting” - Ex-Manchester United chief names 2 players who changed Cristiano Ronaldo transfer plan

18-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo was already seen as a potential superstar, with several top European clubs, including Arsenal and Liverpool, eager to secure his signature back in 2003. Ultimately, Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United signed him for £12 million that summer.

At the time, it was believed that the Red Devils became interested in Ronaldo after his impressive performance for Sporting CP against a star-studded United team in a friendly match.

Former Manchester United CEO Peter Kenyon recently talked about what actually happened with Ronaldo’s transfer, quashing the popularly held belief. Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents show, Kenyon stated that the Red Devils had already secured Ronaldo's signature before United’s game against Sporting.

"It [signing Ronaldo] wasn’t by chance. We’d already done the deal for Ronaldo [before the friendly]. We brought him in earlier than anticipated," Keyton said.

Ferdinand, who was with United at the time, shared the players’ perspective, stating that they believed that United signed Ronaldo only after his standout performance.

Keyton clarified the deal, explaining that the club originally intended to leave Ronaldo on loan at Sporting for one season.

However, he mentioned that two senior United players, Roy Keane and Ryan Giggs, persuaded the club to bring the then 18-year-old to Manchester immediately after his stunning display against them.

"We go to Sporting to play in their new stadium, to open it. We’d done a deal for Ronaldo prior to that, despite a lot of competition. The plan was that he would stay at Sporting for another 12 months because he wanted to play football and develop, not sit on a first-team bench [at United]."

"But in that first half, he absolutely wiped the floor with us. Roy Keane and Giggsy may it quite clear we had to take this boy home with us. So we stayed and actually renegotiated that deal so he could come to United that year," Keyton added (via Mirror)

Kenyon also disclosed that United were pursuing Ronaldinho’s signature at that time. Ronaldinho eventually joined Barcelona, but the former Red Devils CEO mentioned that even if the Brazilian had signed, it would not have affected the deal United had in place for Ronaldo.

Cristiano Ronaldo admits coaching has never been on his mind

Ronaldo is still performing well in the Saudi Pro League, but at 39, there is much speculation about when he will end his remarkable career.

When discussing his future and whether he plans to stay in football after retirement, the former Real Madrid star stated that he has no intention of going into coaching.

“At the moment, I’m not thinking about becoming a coach, not for a first team or any team. It hasn’t even crossed my mind, I’ve never thought about it. I don’t see my future going in that direction. I see myself doing other things outside of football, but only God knows what the future holds,” Ronaldo told Portuguese channel Now.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo remains in outstanding form for Al-Nassr. He recently netted his 899th career goal with a spectacular free-kick against Al Feiha and is still eager to chase and break records.

Ronaldo also expressed his desire to continue contributing to the Portugal national team under Roberto Martinez, stating that his current focus is on playing in the Nations League for his country.