Cristiano Ronaldo nearly wore different colors in Spain, as the Portugal international had agreed to move to Valencia following a falling out with Manchester United on the heels of a breakout World Cup showing in 2006.
According to former sporting director Amedeo Carboni, Ronaldo had given the okay to make the move and Valencia had secured the blessing of Coca Cola and Nike — two of his major sponsors.
A trip to memory lane would show how Cristiano Ronaldo winked at Wayne Rooney once the British striker was sent off for a tackle against Portuguese center back Ricardo Carvalho in the 2006 World Cup quarterfinals in Germany.
The move was surely not well-received by Manchester United fans, as the cheeky gesture soon made headlines all around England, calling for Ronaldo's head.
“The circumstances are not right to keep playing in Manchester. In two or three days I will decide where to go,” said Ronaldo back in 2006, according to Goal.com. “I always said I wanted to play in Spain. Nobody stood up for me at Manchester, although I did not do anybody any harm.”
Once Cristiano Ronaldo saw La Liga open its doors, Valencia was knocking on his.
“I arrived at the right time, Valencia was the city that benefited most from this economic, social and sporting ‘boom',” Carboni told Il Posticipo of the potential haul. “We had found the financial resources to get him, we had made arrangements with Nike and Coca Cola — the player's sponsors.
“Ronaldo at that time was already earning 10 million net a year, a lot for a club like Valencia. Then we reached the stage where Cristiano had argued with Manchester United. In 2006-07 Valencia was experiencing a ‘boom' and I had his ‘yes' to sign him.”
That is a huge revelation, considering that Cristiano Ronaldo's stardom took off after starring in that 2006 World Cup.
Carboni pointed out that “the contracts signed by [Jorge] Mendes, nothing was missing between Ronaldo, his agent and myself. The deal, however, did not materialize.”
That might be just the best deal that never happened.
Cristiano Ronaldo would go on to score 17 goals and line out 15 assists in 34 Premier League appearances during the 2006-07 season. He totaled 23 goals and 21 assists across all competitions in 53 appearances. That season saw his World Cup success translate into club fortune, soon becoming one of the main stars for Sir Alex Ferguson.
The Portugal international would make his awaited switch to Spain in 2009, as this time Spanish supergiant Real Madrid put pen to paper, setting up what became nine historic seasons at the Santiago Bernabeau.
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