Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has revealed that the club were so close to signing Ronaldinho from Paris Saint-Germain that they had assigned him a squad number.
The Brazilian was heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford in the summer of 2003 and appeared to have completed a deal until changing his mind at the 11th hour and instead joining Barcelona.
The World Cup winner went on to be named the world's best player on two occasions during a glittering stint at Camp Nou, but Scholes admitted that United went from expecting him to join them to trying to kick him during a friendly against Barcelona within a matter of days.
When asked to recall some near-misses for United in the transfer market, Scholes told the Savage Social podcast: "I remember Harry Kewell was one. I think he ended up turning us down and going to Liverpool, which didn't really bother us that much.
"I think Damien Duff was one as well, Arjen Robben, I think he was very close to coming. But I think the one who stands out is Ronaldinho. I can't remember what year it was, but really I thought the manager had got him. We were away at pre-season and I think they were as close as announcing him and giving him the number, but he ended up changing his mind last minute and he signed for Barcelona.
"It's strange really because that pre-season tour we were playing against Barcelona, so we were all excited. Ronaldinho, what a player! We thought he was going to bring something special, almost like what [Eric] Cantona brought to the team.
"Then three days later we're playing against him in Seattle, so everyone's trying to kick him! We were trying to beat him because he didn't sign for us."
Ronaldinho won two league titles and the Champions League during his time at Barcelona.
Barney Corkhill
