This week marks 17 years since Manchester United signed an 18-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo from Sporting.
Apart from making many Reds feel very old indeed, that anniversary also offers a reminder of how United’s transfer dealings have drastically changed in the intervening period.
We’ve had a look back at the legendary circumstances around Ronaldo’s arrival, and why, in our view Ed Woodward wouldn’t be capable of a similar swoop today.
That fated pre-season encounter
Ronaldo gave United’s defenders twisted blood in a pre-season clash before the 2003-04 season.
The Mirror quote Ferguson from 2003 stating his players on the way back from the game were urging him to land the Portuguese teenager.
He said: “After we played Sporting last week the lads in the dressing room talked about him constantly and on the plane back they urged me to sign him.
“We have been negotiating for Cristiano for quite some time, but the interest in him from other clubs accelerated in the last few weeks so we had to move quickly to get him.
United were of course aware of Ronaldo before facing him first hand, but that match convinced Ferguson and his players that he had the ability to shine at United.
A deal was conducted remarkably quickly, with Ronaldo a United player within days.
Woodward wouldn’t make a similar swoop
17 years on, United are embroiled in yet another public transfer saga, over a potential British record transfer to land Jadon Sancho.
Ed Woodward has a penchant for this; the clicks it drives, the perceived status of offering big money and getting big engagement.
It doesn’t offer much on the football side; value for money, competent low-key negotiation or early business which allows a player ample pre-season.
Woodward is too busy chasing big-money, drawn-out transfers to lead a low-profile, quick to complete, cost-effective deal for an unknown talent who could blossom like Ronaldo did.
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