“This started to become a bigger issue than the money” - Ex-Manchester United CEO Peter Kenyon on why Red Devils didn’t sign Ronaldinho
Former Manchester United CEO Peter Kenyon recently revealed that the club were in talks to sign Ronaldinho. He said that Sir Alex Ferguson had also made plans to bring in the Brazilian but the deal never materialized.
Ronaldinho is widely known as one of the best players of his generation and one of the most skilled players of all time. His dribbling skills coupled with numerous tricks on the pitch entertained fans for years. He personified the Brazilian football motto 'Joga Bonito', which means 'the beautiful game'.
Ronaldinho came through Gremio's academy and joined Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in 2001. Peter Kenyon has now revealed that Manchester United were in talks with signing him. He said on a podcast with United legend Rio Ferdinand on his YouTube channel Rio Ferdinand Presents:
“We did chase him hard. It’s not true [we agreed a fee with PSG and went to Paris with a different amount of money in our briefcase], let’s bust that myth first. This was the same as any other transfer. Alex [Ferguson] was involved in it, [he made] critical decisions on ‘why he wants him’, ‘where he would play, ‘who he would replace’ etc.
“Normally in these cases, you’re dealing with the player and his agent. Here we’re dealing with the player, his several agents and about 20 other people in the room. Yes he’s a great player, but suddenly we’re into a whole different thing."
Kenyon pointed out that Ronaldinho would've become the first Brazilian at Manchester United, but shared some factors that led to the deal collapsing. He said:
“He was going to become our first Brazilian at the club [and that] injects something into training, they are not normally on time. The Brazilians’ training and health culture is different. They’re fantastic players, but there’s all sorts of other things that started to get introduced into this [deal] and he was clearly coming with a lot of people.
“United was an institution at that time. Nobody got treated differently than the rest. This started to become a bigger issue than the money. We sort of got an agreement with club, we could’ve got an agreement with Ronaldinho, but it was all starting to get to the edges.”
Ronaldinho eventually joined Barcelona from PSG in 2003, where he became an icon in his five-year stint. He registered 94 goals and 71 assists in 204 games for them, winning numerous trophies, including the 2005 Ballon d'Or.
Manchester United failed to land German manager to replace Erik ten Hag: Reports
As per Sport (via The Hard Tackle), Manchester United had approached VfB Stuttgart manager Sebastian Hoeness to become their manager. However, the German refused the offer at the first contact as he's keen to stay at his current club.
Hoeness took over as Stuttgart's manager in April 2023 and helped them avoid relegation by beating Hamburg in the playoff. In the next season (2023-24), he led them to an incredible second-placed finish in the Bundesliga, their best position since 2007. His playing style of possession-based direct football have also impressed many.
This saw Manchester United approach him last summer after Erik ten Hag came under huge pressure. The Dutchman led United to their worst-ever eighth place in the Premier League but won the FA Cup. After United failed to sign Hoeness, they extended Ten Hag's contract till 2026.
However, he's again under pressure after Manchester United have won just three of their first 10 games across competitions this season.