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Cristiano Ronaldo reveals how close he was to joining Barcelona

At Sporting Lisbon, Cristiano Ronaldo was just starting his professional career when several elite clubs saw his brilliance, and clubs like FC Barcelona approached him when he was young player.

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Varun Sarwate
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Cristiano Ronaldo Photograph: (X)

At Sporting Lisbon, Cristiano Ronaldo was just starting his professional career when a number of elite clubs saw his brilliance. But everything changed after receiving a call from Sir Alex Ferguson, who was Manchester United's manager at the time. After a while, Ronaldo joined Manchester United in England, where he made history and even took home a Ballon d'Or.

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However, his career path might have taken a different turn because he was rumoured to be on the verge of joining FC Barcelona. Many have been left in shock by the unexpected reason why the deal never actually happened. When questioned on the Los Amigos de Edu program if he could have signed with FC Barcelona, Cristiano Ronaldo said, "Yes, it was a stage when I was playing for Sporting and I could get to several clubs and one of those was FC Barcelona. I remember being with a person from Barcelona and he wanted to sign me."

Ahead of the move to Barcelona, Cristiano Ronaldo chose to join Manchester United as the transfer failed. “I did not sign for FC Barcelona because it didn’t happen. Maybe they wanted to sign me and I wanted to move up to the first team the following year and Manchester United moved me up to the first team at the same minute,” Cristiano stated to Edu Aguirre.

Cristiano Ronaldo gave priority to quick chances to advance with the first squad. Before he could gain a place in the senior team, Barcelona wanted him to first become used to the club and the language. The Barcelona move failed and Ronaldo went on to win the Ballon d'Or and sign a record-breaking contract with Real Madrid, Barcelona's fiercest rival. He established himself as one of the finest players in Madrid's history and solidified his legacy, thereby winning numerous Ballon d'Or honours.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 923 goal

Currently, he plays for Al Nassr, and against Al Wasl, Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace as the team defeated Al Wasl by 4-0. This marks Ronaldo scoring 923 goals in his career as he sets eyes on his 1000th goal before taking retirement. Now he has six goals to his name, making him the second-highest goalscorer in the Champions League. Stefano Pioli's team will return to action on Friday when they play Al-Feiha in a crucial Saudi Pro League match.

Cristiano Ronaldo
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