I could have played for Man Utd – Ronaldinho

Ronaldinho maintains that he has no regrets at having snubbed Premier League interest from Manchester United and Chelsea at the height of his playing career.

The Brazilian forward was one of the most sought-after talents in world football over the summer of 2003.

United were keen on landing the World Cup winner to help cover the loss of David Beckham to Real Madrid, with Paris Saint-Germain leaving themselves open to offers.

It was, however, to be a bid from Barcelona which blew all of the others out of the water and appealed the most to a man who would go on to win a number of major honours at Camp Nou – including the La Liga title, the Champions League and the World Player of the Year award.

“I never even thought of that,” Ronaldinho told FourFourTwo when quizzed on the interest from England.

“Yes, I could have played for another club, but I went to Barcelona because of my friendship with Sandro Rosell. I could have played for Manchester United.

“My brother was already studying what I would do after PSG. I was a World Cup winner then, and that opened a lot of doors.

“But when Sandro was elected, I had the chance to see the club and the city, and the choice became easy.”