JAMIE CARRAGHER has revealed Liverpool thought they had Cristiano Ronaldo hours before he joined Manchester United 21 years ago.
The Portuguese was signed by Sir Alex Ferguson for £12million at the age of 18 in August 2003.
He would go on to become one of the club’s all-time great players, winning three Premier League titles, the Champions League and Ballon d’Or during a sensational six years at Old Trafford.
Ronaldo, 39, later returned for a second stint in 2021 and spent just over one year back at Man Utd before leaving for Saudi Arabia.
Yet Liverpool icon Carragher, 46, who faced Ronaldo on numerous occasions during his first spell in the Premier League, claims the Merseyside club believed they had the forward before the move to Man Utd was announced.
Speaking on The Overlap, brought to you by Sky Bet, he said: “When he actually signed for United I think we were in for him.
“That was when Gerard Houllier and Phil Thompson – Phil Thompson tells the story that he thought we had him.
“He was speaking to the agent and before you know it, it breaks on Sky Sports News ‘Ronaldo’s gone to United’ – and I think of what we lacked probably in the best teams I played in at Liverpool.
“I think we had world-class or great players in every position over a 10-year period, but I don’t think we ever had a world-class wide player.
“Listen, we had the best in John Barnes, late eighties, but I think if you got through the nineties, I don’t think we ever had a player of that ilk.”
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Carragher was critical of Ronaldo’s return to Man Utd when he came back for a second stint under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Ronaldo subsequently ignored him live on air during a Sky Sports Super Sunday as he caught up with former team-mates Gary Neville and Roy Keane.
Carragher later responded: “I get a custard pie for getting it right on Ronaldo from day one!
“The custard pie for him from ETH [Erik ten Hag] shows the manager thinks the same!
“Maybe the ex-Man Utd legends (sycophants!) will now agree with me.”
