A call was enough: How Cristiano Ronaldo lured two players to Manchester United

It was the return of the lost son. After twelve years at Real Madrid and Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated his comeback at Manchester United last summer, but it could have been different.

• Rafael about Ronaldo phone call: "Will I never forget"
• Manchester United: Ronaldo Half Fabio and Rafael

Not only were the Red Devils interested in a commitment of the Portuguese, also city trival Manchester City had serious intentions to lure Ronaldo back to the Premier League. The rash was ultimately also a phone call with no small as Sir Alex Ferguson.

"Do not go to Manchester City," according to a report of the daily Star the only words it needed to convince Ronaldo to convince with United. The situation is reminiscent of an anecdote 13 years ago, but at that time it was CR7, who took the handset on behalf of Ferguson.

In 2008, United was equal to two players: the Brazilian twins Rafael and Fabio da Silva. Even Premier League Rival Arsenal had already become aware of the two Fluminense talents, but Ferguson pulled an ace of the sleeve.

The coach legend commission Ronaldo as his "agent". His task was to call the brothers and convince them in this way. So Ronaldo took work - with success.

Rafael about Ronaldo phone call: "Will I never forget"

"He called me, and I will never forget that," Rafael recalled in utd podcast: "I looked at my phone all the zeros [to indicate an international call, Nat. D. Red.] And I thought: Who is That? I never received such a call. "

Rafael had just returned from his trial training in Manchester, where he had already stood in the square with Ronaldo. When he removed the phone, he quickly knew what was going on. "He just greeted me in Portuguese and I realized him. I ran to my brother and said, 'It's Ronaldo, it's Ronaldo! He calls to talk to us!", Says the Brazilian.

"He said, 'I'll call you to say: sign at Manchester United. I know that you will like it," Rafael led: "I could not believe it." It was unbelievable. "

Manchester United: Ronaldo Half Fabio and Rafael

Only a short time later Fabio and Rafael moved to Manchester, where Ronaldo became an important contact person. So Fabio espn revealed that the five-time balloon-d'or winner helped the twins, among other things, to cope with the language barrier.

Rafael quickly managed to establish itself as a successor Gary Nevilles on the right-heavy position. A total of three championships and a club world championship, the 31-year-old gained 31-year-old before he left Manchester in 2015 after 170 missions towards Olympique Lyon. Today he defends in his Brazilian home for Botafogo.

Fabios Time in England, however, was less successfully influenced. So he had to hire on the defensive outer railways usually at the back. After 56 competitive games for United as well as a lending to the Queen's Park Rangers, it bugged the outer chest 2014 to Cardiff. Since 2018 he stands in the French first division FC Nantes under contract.

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Meanwhile, Ronaldo is tied to United until summer 2023. And who knows? Maybe he stops at the age of 38 and slips permanently into the role of the agent.