Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale had agreed to move to Manchester United in 2013, according to fresh claims from Red Devils legend Patrice Evra.
The former United captain has unveiled a disappointing truth for fans, who might have been able to enjoy a link up between Ronaldo and Bale at Old Trafford during the Sir Alex Ferguson era.
Evra, who shared the pitch with Ronaldo for three and a half years during the superstar’s first spell in Manchester, has opened up on a conversation he had with the iconic former boss, claiming that deals had been agreed with each of the players. Ronaldo was at Real Madrid, and Bale was at Tottenham.
Speaking with former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel on the popular The Obi One Podcast, Evra detailed a meeting he had with Ferguson, which came ahead of his retirement in 2013.
“One of the most saddest days, I didn’t cry, I was in shock,” he said.
“The reason why is because two weeks before, he brought me into his office [and said], ‘Patrice look at those people, they think I’m going to retire, I’m going to be [at the club for] another ten years, but we need to win more Champions Leagues.’
“[Ferguson] said, ‘Patrice, Cristiano Ronaldo, agreed 99 per cent to come back and Gareth Bale [too].’ He needed £200m and the club refused to give him that.
“And now, they spent a billion on whatever. It was 2013, just before he retired, so that is why I remember when I got out of his office, I was like, ‘Cristiano is back, Gareth Bale, we’re back in business’ after winning the title and everything.”
Ronaldo originally left Old Trafford in 2009 in a world record transfer to Real Madrid, scoring a club record 450 goals over a nine-year period. He eventually returned to United in 2021, but endured a difficult start to his second year under Erik ten Hag before switching to the Saudi Pro League.
Bale also wound up at Real Madrid, trading Spurs for the Bernabeu in the summer of 2013 instead. Despite having agreed to join United and the club apparently refusing to put up the money, things later changed. The Welshman remained a target once David Moyes had replaced Ferguson a few months later, but by then he was well on his way to completing a transfer to Spain.
“It was already down the road a bit with Real Madrid,” Moyes recalled several years later in 2020. “I tried to hijack it. I tried to get him. Manchester United offered more money than Real Madrid. They offered more money to the player.”
