Sir Alex Ferguson was "99 per cent sure" he could convince Cristiano Ronaldo to return to Old Trafford, just weeks before retiring.
It has emerged that in 2013 the former Manchester United manager attempted an ambitious double transfer swoop to try and reclaim Champions League glory, according to former defender Patrice Evra.
Ferguson is said to have wanted to bring back Ronaldo as well as Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale. In fact, Evra says Ronaldo even confirmed to him that he was returning to Old Trafford.
But after those bids failed, he retired just two weeks later in a shock announcement.
In a chat with Manchester United's official podcast, Evra spoke in detail about Ferguson's plans.
"Two weeks before his retirement, I remember there was a lot of media saying Ferguson will maybe retire next year, and he said to me, "Patrice, I will never retire. I will be here another 10 years".
"He then said: "My target is I'm 99 per cent sure we will have Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. I just need these two players to win the Champions League again. Ninety-nine per cent".
"And to be fair, when I speak with Cristiano, I ask him and he said yes to the boss, and was coming to join United. He told me this."
Gareth Bale and Sir Alex Ferguson. pic.twitter.com/Oxf5ehSCTk
— LearnEnglishThroughFootball (@LETFootball) May 2, 2020
Evra also detailed the moment Ferguson told the squad about his retirement.
"After two weeks, we were in the dressing room waiting." he said.
"When we arrived at Carrington, I see all those cameras and I was like: "Wow, someone has done something wrong. Maybe a player is the story again! Someone has done something wrong, we are in trouble".
"But we arrived and people said, "Guys, you have to stay in the dressing room because the boss wants to have a chat". And when the boss came into the dressing room to talk to everyone, it's never good news.
"He came, and he said, "I'm really sorry. Some people have said that I'm going to retire even before I say it myself. That's why you saw all those cameras. But I will retire because my wife needs me".
"He apologised to [Robin] van Persie, he apologised to Shinji [Kagawa], because he just brought them. He apologised to them especially."
Do you think Manchester United could have won the Champions League if Ferguson had signed both Ronaldo and Bale?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
source https://www.sportbible.com/football/news-pub-talk-legends-sir-alex-ferguson-retired-just-two-weeks-after-failed-double-transfer-20200920
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