Infamous Manchester United flop Kleberson has claimed that he was convinced to make the move to the Reds by none-other than Ronaldinho, who assured him that he was also headed to Old Trafford.
The duo were key members of the Brazil side which romped to victory during the 2002 World Cup and Kleberson went on to make the move from Atletico Paranaense for £6 million, a year later. You wouldn’t sign a World Cup winner this summer for that amount.
Kleberson’s time at United was plagued by injuries and dreadful performances. He was then sold to Besiktas in 2005 having made just 20 Premier League appearances.
READ MORE: Mourinho holds talks to sign star he believes would win Ballon d’Or at Man Utd
We’re hoping Fred can make a greater impact than that.
However, Kleberson has claimed that the move only came to fruition because his compatriot Ronaldinho insisted that he was also making a move to Manchester and that his Brazil teammate should join him.
“Ronaldinho told me he was going to Manchester,” Kleberson told ESPN, as per the Daily Mail.
“He kept saying to me, ‘Come to Manchester!’
“I wanted to go, but I was reluctant because I didn’t speak England and United didn’t have any Portuguese speaks. Ronaldinho persuaded me, and I went to Manchester. But he didn’t.”
Ronaldinho went on to enjoy a glittering career, winning two La Liga titles and a Champions League to show for it. Kleberson, on the other hand, returned to his native Brazil after two seasons with Besiktas before playing some football in the USA.
Slightly different career paths, eh?