Sir Alex Ferguson wanted Barcelona to beat Real Madrid to the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo, according to Guillem Balague.
Former Manchester United manager Ferguson had been angered by Real’s public attempts to unsettle Ronaldo in the summer of 2008.
And the Scot then reportedly tried to convince Barcelona to enter the race for the Portuguese superstar.
“[Sir Alex] flew to Portugal to cut off Madrid’s bid directly,” Guillem Balague writes in Cristiano Ronaldo: The Biography, an extract of which has been serialised in Spanish outlet AS.
“He was clear that he wouldn’t allow his arm to be twisted. This was about much more than a transfer, it was about maintaining his authority in the eyes of the world.
“For weeks he’d pursued a Machiavellian approach of sorts, but seeing that he couldn’t persuade Cristiano to stay he made contact __with Barcelona to encourage them to bid.”
Ferguson eventually settled for a deal which would see Ronaldo remain at Old Trafford for one more season, before joining Real in a then-world record £80million move.
“Ferguson sought a gentlemen’s agreement that he’d already run by Mendes,” Balague adds.
“He wouldn’t let him leave this year, he said, but if he behaved well over the next twelve months, if he gave enough to the club and Madrid came back __with a record fee, he wouldn’t stand in his way.”