Youri Djorkaeff: World Cup winner reveals why he turned down Man United | OneFootball

Former France international Youri Djorkaeff has opened up about his failed transfer to Manchester United.

Incredible career

The highlight of the Frenchman’s career was winning the World Cup in 1998.

He represented his national side 82 times, scoring 28 goals in total.

The midfielder also played for clubs such as Inter Milan, AS Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain.

Djorkaeff did spend four years in England towards the end of his career, however.

He moved to Bolton Wanderers in 2001 before joining Blackburn Rovers in 2004.

Chance to move to United

Commenting on his move to Bolton in an interview with FourFourTwo magazine, he claimed his move was a bit of a gamble, but he stated, “I told Big Sam (Allardyce) that in 2001, I’d won the Confederations Cup with France. In 2000, the Euros. In 1998, both the World Cup and the UEFA Cup. In 1996, the Cup Winners’ Cup. This time I wasn’t chasing another medal, I wanted to take on the challenge of helping a club that was in real trouble.”

No regrets

The World Cup winner claimed that he was promised the opportunity to play every game at Bolton, and that was important for him as he prepared for the 2002 World Cup.

Revealing that he also had offers from Liverpool and Manchester United, he explained, “that’s not something Gerard Houllier or Sir Alex Ferguson could have promised. I felt it was better to go to Bolton for 12 games because I wouldn’t lose my credibility.”

He added, “then I could decide whether to stay or leave. In the end, I chose to extend my stay because I felt really good there.”

Asked whether or not he regretted turning down United and Liverpool, he claimed, “not at all. I needed that Bolton experience in my life.”

The Frenchman would retire in 2005 after a short spell in New York with the Red Bulls.

online polls

The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social