Manchester United’s move in 2013 that could have changed Real Madrid’s history | OneFootball

It was back in 2009 that Real Madrid signed Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United in a world-record transfer at the time – a move that would change the history of Los Blancos over the next decade or so.

With him as the face of the team, Real Madrid went on to dominate the European football scenes for years, winning as many as four UEFA Champions League crowns, two La Liga titles, and several other major honours.

Gareth Bale, who arrived at Real Madrid in 2013, forged a strong bond with Ronaldo and both were critical to the success that the club achieved over the next five years or so.

Ronaldo went on to become Real Madrid’s all-time leading goalscorer before eventually leaving the club in 2018.

As for Bale, he went on to win five UCL trophies at the club before falling out of favour and eventually sealing a permanent exit in 2022.

However, according to a recent revelation by former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra, Ronaldo could have left Real Madrid much earlier while Bale might not have joined at all.

Manchester United wanted Ronaldo and Bale in 2013

Indeed, as per Evra, Manchester United had grand plans to unite Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale at Real Madrid in 2013.

The former French international revealed on The ObiOne Podcast (h/t Mundo Deportivo), that Sir Alex Ferguson, before he retired, was planning moves to bring Ronaldo back to the club and also sign Bale.

Sir Alex Ferguson wanted to pair up Bale and Ronaldo at Man United in 2013. (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images)

Things were moving in the right direction as well but Manchester United refused to stump up the huge money required to pull off the double signings.

“Two weeks before he retired, Sir Alex took me into his office and said: ‘Look at those people, they think I’m going to retire, that I’m going to stay another 10 years… yes, we need to win more Champions Leagues,'” recalled Evra.

“Ferguson confessed to me: ‘Patrice, Cristiano Ronaldo is 99 per cent agreed to come back and so is Gareth Bale”. He needed £200 million and the club refused to put it in. Now they’ve spent a billion, it doesn’t matter,” he sensationally revealed.

“I remember coming out of his office and thinking: ‘Cristiano is back, and Gareth Bale, we’re back in business. Imagine that. That’s what he said,” Evra said.

Cristiano and Bale, despite the latter’s falling out with fans in the latter years at the club, were absolutely critical for Real Madrid and were the protagonists on some of the team’s greatest nights in European football.

If Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United had succeeded in their plan to unite them at Old Trafford in 2013, things would have turned out so much differently for Real Madrid.