Legendary ex-Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson personally attempted to sign one Boca Juniors legend after he made contact with a club president.
Sir Alex Ferguson has been out of management since 2013 after he led Manchester United to their last Premier League title at the end of the 2012-13 campaign.
The 82-year-old Scotsman engineered all 13 of United’s Premier League title wins and ushered in a period of dominance over English football.
Ferguson, who is widely regarded as one of the best managers of all time, was the first manager in history to lead an English team to a continental treble.
The iconic Scot had a long-lasting impact on football after his success in England with United and in Scotland with Aberdeen.
Ferguson saw both the highs and lows in the transfer window, including the acquisition of marquee signings like United legend Eric Cantona.
However, even the Aberdeen and United legend failed in his bid to bring legendary former players to Old Trafford, despite his best efforts to land key targets.
Ferguson missed out on Man Utd signing
Speaking to El Loco y el Cuerdo, Juan Roman Riquelme opened up about how Sir Alex Ferguson wanted to bring him to Manchester United.
Juan Roman Riquelme previously played for Boca Juniors and Barcelona, with the Argentine spending time on loan at Villarreal before making the switch permanent.
The 46-year-old Argentine, who is now president of Boca Juniors, had caught the eye of former United boss Ferguson when he was at Villarreal.
According to Riquelme, Ferguson had spoken with both the president of Villarreal and the Boca Juniors legend’s agent in a bid to lure him to Old Trafford.
“We played the semi-final with Arsenal in England and he [Ferguson] was at the hotel,” he said, as per TyC Sports.
“He spoke with the president of Villarreal and there was Daniel [Bolotnicoff], who is my representative.
“He was there because he had gone to buy me. They finished the meeting and Dani says to me, ‘He wants to say hello.’
“He came to buy. Then I say to him: ‘What did you tell him?’ And there he answers: ‘The sports city, El Madrigal [former stadium name; now known as the Estadi de la Ceramica], is for sale… everything is for sale, except Riquelme.
“There I told my representative: ‘Tell Ferguson that I will never forget these five minutes in my life again, but that if the president doesn’t want to sell me, I’ll stay in Villarreal.’ So, I greeted him and I went to have a mate.”
Riquelme snubs led to Man Utd legend’s arrival
Ferguson’s failed efforts to sign Juan Roman Riquelme opened the door for another United legend to arrive at Old Trafford.
The former Aberdeen boss signed United legend Michael Carrick from Tottenham in 2006 as part of a deal reportedly worth up to £18.6m.
Michael Carrick became a mainstay midfield influence at United under Ferguson and even after the legendary Scotsman’s exit from the Old Trafford hot seat.
The 43-year-old, who is now managing Middlesbrough, is widely admired for the impact that he had in the heart of midfield during his playing days at United.
“Then we had to go play the Audi Cup with Boca in Germany and he went to the press conference,” Riquelme continued.
“He [Ferguson] said that it had been true that he wanted to buy me and that every time they go to buy a Manchester United player, they want them to respond like me.”
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
