Rio Ferdinand has told Five that he tried to persuade Luka Modric to join Manchester United back in 2012.
Modric starred at the 2022 World Cup, reaching the semi-finals and helping Croatia to win third place.
His 2018 showing helped him to win the Ballon d’Or, becoming the only player in more than a decade to break up the Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi duopoly.
Modric has won five Champions League titles at Real Madrid since leaving Tottenham to join the Spanish giants in 2012.
Luka Modric wanted to sign for Manchester United
Rio Ferdinand said he spoke with Luka Modric in 2012 when it became evident the midfielder was looking to leave Tottenham.
The defender said he received an encouraging response from Modric, who wanted to sign with United and make history.
However, United were already far along with a deal to sign Shinji Kagawa from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £17 million.
Ferdinand explained: “I spoke to him before he went to Real Madrid, because that’s what I used to do, I was the ‘playing agent’, agent Rio. Any player that was available or coming up, I would get into them, Thiago at Liverpool I spoke to him before he left Barcelona to go to Bayern Munich (in 2013).
“Modric I remember speaking to him, I said ‘are you leaving’, he said ‘yeah I’m gonna go’. He wasn’t sure at the time where he was going, I said ‘listen, you have got to come to United’. He said ‘I want to be the first Croatian to play for Man United, I want to be that guy’.
“It didn’t happen, United I spoke to David Gill and the manager at the time, we had already agreed with Shinji Kagawa, I think that was the year. They done that deal and Modric went to Real Madrid, the rest is history. But I never imagined he would go on to do what he has.”
Modric deal would have been more costly
Manchester United took the cheaper and more easier deal to sign Shinji Kagawa. Luka Modric cost a fee of £30 million for Real Madrid, however, Tottenham would likely have charged United double.
It’s possible Spurs would have refused point-blank to deal with United, after the Dimitar Berbatov deal in 2008 soured relations between the two clubs.
But had United known exactly how successful Modric would have been, surely they would have pushed to go on and do a deal.
This was the same summer United signed Robin van Persie, a move which negatively impacted fellow new boy Shinji Kagawa, as it pushed Wayne Rooney into a deeper role.
Modric certainly would have been a better signing, both in the short-term and long-term. He is still starring for Real Madrid.
Kagawa left United in 2014 and currently plays for Belgian side Sint-Truiden.
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