Cristiano Ronaldo transfer shocked Liverpool bosses – ‘almost choked’

Former Liverpool bosses Phil Thompson and Gerard Houllier were left confused over lunch when news broke that Cristiano Ronaldo had snubbed the Reds for Manchester United early in his career.

Liverpool thought they had a deal for then-wunderkind Ronaldo for a bargain price of $5 million (£4 million) in 2003, which equated to around $8.9 million (£7 million). pounds sterling) in today’s money. Ronaldo, a dazzling scout at Sporting Lisbon, was high on Liverpool’s wish list.

Thompson, assistant manager at the time, has since recalled a meal in Lisbon with football agent Tony Henry, where they appeared to iron out the details of Ronaldo’s move to Merseyside. But in a twist of fate, Ronaldo decided to join Liverpool’s main rivals, Manchester United, and he caught them very much by surprise in the process.

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During a chat with The Athletic in 2020, Thompson shared: “I still remember Tony’s exact words. It was all very nice and relaxed. It’s £4million and can be paid over the four years of his contract, so £1m a year That seemed very reasonable to me Then I asked about the salary and Tony told me it was £1m net.

“On Tuesday morning we were having lunch at the training ground and the yellow message on Sky Sports came up: ‘Manchester United have signed Cristiano Ronaldo for £12.2 million’. Gerard and I almost choked on it our food I can remember Gerard jumping up and saying, “What happened there?”

Little did Liverpool know that Sir Alex Ferguson had orchestrated a deal for the young Portuguese star after his impressive performance in a pre-season friendly against United. Liverpool’s defeat would become one of United’s biggest wins, as Ronaldo became one of the club’s most influential players of the new generation.

During his first spell at United, Ronaldo scored 118 goals and won three Premier League titles, two League Cups, an FA Cup, the Champions League and the Club World Cup.