Clarence Seedorf says he nearly signed for Manchester United
Clarence Seedorf has revealed he nearly signed for Manchester United.
The Dutchman told 90Min that United were one of three Premier League teams who tried to bring him to England.
He said: “I was close to going to play in the Premier League. I almost signed three times – one time for Manchester United, one time for Arsenal, one time for Chelsea. They were all close, [but] I made different choices.
“I went to Real Madrid instead of England, I went to Inter Milan instead of England, and then I stayed at AC Milan instead of going to England. But you cannot have everything. [My career] was a wonderful experience, so I’m happy.”
Seedorf went on to enjoy one of the most successful club careers in history, so isn’t regretting his choices.
He won the Champions League five times, with three different clubs, Ajax, Real Madrid and AC Milan.
A tough opponent
United avoided Seedorf during his time at Real Madrid between 1999 and 2002, but came up against him while he was at AC Milan.
He played a key role in knocking us out of the Champions League semi-final in 2007, when he set up Kaka for his opening goal at Old Trafford.
He retired at the age of 38 as one of the most decorated players in recent club football history.
Perhaps he could have won more if he moved to United though?
Seedorf may have won five Champions Leagues, but he only won five league title medals across his various clubs.
Compare this to Paul Scholes who won the Premier League 11 times and Ryan Giggs’ 13.
Going through Seedorf’s comments chronologically, it appears United made the initial approach which saw him choose Real Madrid instead. That was back in 1996.
He missed out on a golden era at United and possibly could have helped us win a few more Champions League trophies too.
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