How Peter Kenyon ruined the Ronaldinho transfer

[RedForceRising]

I knew the basics of this story through interviews with Sir Alex Ferguson, but never knew the specific figures and how exactly Peter Kenyon had managed to botch a transfer that was supposed to be in the bag.

Barcelona had just elected Jan Laporta as it's new president and he had a man named Sandro Rosell on his board. Rosell had been Nike's man in Brazil had made many important contacts there including Ronaldinho and his brother, Asis.

The following excerpt from Jethro Soutar's biography of Ronaldinho illustrates how the transfer played out:

" The plot thickened when Ronaldinho was spotted in Madrid, but it turned out that he was only making an advert for Pepsi. In fact, Madrid’s interest cooled and Ronaldinho’s future suddenly boiled down to the choices of two: Barca or Man United

Negotiations hotted up. PSG’s directors lodged Rossell and Kenyon in neighbouring hotels in Lyon and walked back and forth between the two, getting one to outbid the other, each oblivious to what was going on behind the scenes.

In this way, Ronaldnho’s transfer price was upped to €30mil (£20mil). Rosell had to drop out at €27mil (18.3) but Kenyon met the asking price – plus €3million (£2mil) in add-ons – and the deal was done. Manchester United would send official confirmation as soon as Peter Kenyon had returned to Old Trafford.

However, when the fax arrived a few days later, it was for €28 million (£19 million) rather than the €30 million (£20million) agreed upon. Kenyon had got wind of the fact that Barca would not go beyond €27 million (£18.3million). Francis Graille, the PSG president, felt insulted and replied with a fax telling the Manchester club that they had broken their side of the bargain and the deal was off.

Old Trafford replied that 30mil was fine, but it was too late: Graille had called Rosell and told him Barca could have Ronaldinho for €27 million (£18.3 million). It had become a matter of principle and, while Rosell had acted honourably throughout, Kenyon, it was felt, had not. It ws one more reason for PSG to favour Barca. Besides, the bidding war had done it’s job: before the whole soap opera began, the first bid from Barca had been for €16 million (£10.8 million). Manchester United had started lower, though this was viewed in Paris as a further example of the condescending attitude emanating from Lancashire: Barca’s offers were at least respectable right from the start.

…..As the Man United team and entourage boarded a plane for their pre-season trip to the United States, they believed the deal was in the bag. By the time they landed, Ronaldinho had signed for Barcelona. Alex Ferguson was furious and his relationship with the chief executive would never recover: Kenyon left the club two months later, accepting a lucrative offer from Chelsea. "

...and the rest as they say is history.

Interstingly enough, Man Utd helped Barca by selling David Beckham to Madrid, BUT two days prior to that, ManUtd.com announced that he had been sold to Barcelona, thus forcing Madrid's hand to buy Beckham and at the same time giving credibility to Laporta candidacy and he was swiftly swept into power.

[carlyluvsunited]

I had to delete the last sentence beginning ...

"It is alleged that ........."

We don't really want to be involved with allegations etc etc ... just in case ... ;)

Very good article though - was Kenyon wrong ... ?

He tried to save £1 Million on the deal ...

Bit cheeky maybe ...

But not very good manners after you make a deal to play with the figures !!

Fergie got rid of him anyway, lol ... :p

[dlan4327]

If that's true that's very sneaky. Shaving £2 Million of the agreed price of £30 just because Kenyon knew that Barca were unwilling to go above £27. To me that's bullying and it should be beneath the likes of Man United. We have far too much honour and pride and money :p to go around trying to rip off smaller clubs like PSG.

[dckyfoxes]

He's not worth that kind of money for now... Although I will be very happy to se him in our jersey. Hopefully we can spashed out on him, won't want to see him with any of the other 3. But being a prideful player like him would really cause high and lows for a team... Look what he have done with Barcelona...

Arsenal might be the only team to have the money to splash in on him at the moment.

[RedForceRising]

I had to delete the last sentence beginning ...

"It is alleged that ........."

We don't really want to be involved with allegations etc etc ... just in case ... ;)

Very good article though - was Kenyon wrong ... ?

He tried to save £1 Million on the deal ...

Bit cheeky maybe ...

But not very good manners after you make a deal to play with the figures !!

Fergie got rid of him anyway, lol ... :p

That was in the book too, though not quoted, but I paraphrased it. In case anybody wants to know how Man Utd MIGHT have inadvertently contributed to Ronaldinho's transfer to Barcelona can PM me. :p

[carlyluvsunited]

That was in the book too, though not quoted, but I paraphrased it. In case anybody wants to know how Man Utd MIGHT have inadvertently contributed to Ronaldinho's transfer to Barcelona can PM me. :p:D

Sorry about that but the internet police will arrest me ... :eek:

We already had some problems with articles being copied etc etc and the
copyright laws - so we have to be care ful ... :)

[abojodeh]

thanks god we didnt buy ronaldinho

[reddwarf]

thanks god we didnt buy ronaldinho

You're kidding, right?

Ronaldinho may currently be a shadow of his former self but he went on to be 2 time World Player of the Year at Barcelona. I'll never forgive Kenyon for messing up that transfer or signing a mega-bucks deal to join Chelsea. He is an idiot and a traitor of the highest order. :mad:

[abojodeh]

You're kidding, right?

Ronaldinho may currently be a shadow of his former self but he went on to be 2 time World Player of the Year at Barcelona. I'll never forgive Kenyon for messing up that transfer or signing a mega-bucks deal to join Chelsea. He is an idiot and a traitor of the highest order. :mad:
if we bought him we might didnt buy ronaldo and rooney
which both better than him

[reddwarf]

if we bought him we might didnt buy ronaldo and rooney
which both better than him

We bought Ronaldo from the money we got selling Beckham.

Fergie seemed determined to get Rooney and if the manager spots a World class talent then the board will do the utmost to sign him...hence us trying to buy Ronaldinho!

Besides, can you imagine the amount of money Unted would have made from selling Ronaldinho merchandise?!

[abojodeh]

We bought Ronaldo from the money we got selling Beckham.

Fergie seemed determined to get Rooney and if the manager spots a World class talent then the board will do the utmost to sign him...hence us trying to buy Ronaldinho!

Besides, can you imagine the amount of money Unted would have made from selling Ronaldinho merchandise?!
nowdays ronaldo is more populare

[sparkic]

I hate kenyon so much!! ehh!! Imagine ronaldo AND ronaldinhio in ONE team?? And then add Rooney to the equation!!

[NateR]

What a shame. Ronaldinho could have been a Legend for us, if we had gotten him.
Doesn't really matter now. Rooney & Ronaldo are 2 of the most popular footballers in the world at the moment. Ronaldo will sweep up every award possible this year, and in Anderson we've got someone who can be as great as Ronaldinho, if not better- who knows?

[abojodeh]

I hate kenyon so much!! ehh!! Imagine ronaldo AND ronaldinhio in ONE team?? And then add Rooney to the equation!!
ronaldinho ronaldo together AGHHH a selfish formation
and if we have ronaldhino we woludnt buy ronaldo

[reddwarf]

ronaldinho ronaldo together AGHHH a selfish formation
and if we have ronaldhino we woludnt buy ronaldo

Ronaldinho would have been a replacement for Veron. Ronaldinho joined Barcelona in 2003, which is the year we sold Veron to Chelsea.

Ronaldo was bought as a replacement for Beckham.

I'm sure we'd have found a way to accomodate 2 of the best players in World football!!!

[Zenitka]

I hate Ronaldinho!

[sparkic]

ronaldinho ronaldo together AGHHH a selfish formation
and if we have ronaldhino we woludnt buy ronaldo

Nah I really think we would of...Ronaldinhio plays more of the centre mid role replaceing Veron and Ronaldo would be a winger like he is today or even a striker like he played vs Roma BUT what would be different is that Ronaldinhio would be our number 7 NOT Ronaldo!

[abojodeh]

Nah I really think we would of...Ronaldinhio plays more of the centre mid role replaceing Veron and Ronaldo would be a winger like he is today or even a striker like he played vs Roma BUT what would be different is that Ronaldinhio would be our number 7 NOT Ronaldo!
ronaldinho was to be perfect to assist for VNS not to score
and ronaldo is better anyway

[RedForceRising]

Ronaldinho would have been a replacement for Veron. Ronaldinho joined Barcelona in 2003, which is the year we sold Veron to Chelsea.

Ronaldo was bought as a replacement for Beckham.

I'm sure we'd have found a way to accomodate 2 of the best players in World football!!!

What really irritates me is that Ronaldinho was the closes we've ever come to signing a big name player. I was reading about him on websites and even in the ManUtd mags and I was really sad when it didn't work out.

Can you imagine what our squad would have been like with Ronaldinho in the team.
By the 2005/2006 season it would have been him and Ronaldo feeding RVN and Wazza... that would have been some attacking line-ip.

Sadly Fergie's tried and failed to sign many big name players like Shearer, Zidane, Ronaldo......

[carlyluvsunited]

What really irritates me is that Ronaldinho was the closes we've ever come to signing a big name player

Keane, Cantona, Law, Best, RVN, Ronnie, Rio, Rooney, Tevez ...

Don't get much bigger than these guys ...

And we bought them all ... :)

[RedForceRising]

Keane, Cantona, Law, Best, RVN, Ronnie, Rio, Rooney, Tevez ...

Don't get much bigger than these guys ...

And we bought them all ... :)


gotta disagree slightly on that, because those players weren't "big names" when we bought them. The club bought them and groomed them into big names.

Even Rooney was probably only seen as a tremendous prospect when we bought him.

I would say RVN and Tevez were well-known outside the prme when we bought them, but not in the same bracket as Zidane, Figo, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo.

God knows, I love the players you;ve named and agree that they went on to be big-name players, but they weren;t widely recognized world-class players/stars at the time we bought them.

[reddwarf]

Veron was probably the biggest name we bought.

[RedForceRising]

Veron was probably the biggest name we bought.

that's true, but he wasn't exactly exciting talent that was setting the world on fire.
Till this day I don;t understand how Fergie parted with 29million pounds to sign him....

I think the board wanted to make him happy after he missed out on Shearer and Zidane, but they did the club a disfavour!

[ManUtd08]

ronaldinho wud be great 4 man utd

[fazman]

Im of the opinion ronaldinho wanted to play in barcelona because of the weather and the city its an amazing place.

[RedForceRising]

shameless bump

[stretty]

thanks god we didnt buy ronaldinho
now you really are joking he would have lit up the theatre of dreams it was made for him , his first two years at barca were immense and i used to sit there thinking if was not for kenyon he would have been with us

[Ritesh MU]

i think it was because of language also

[abojodeh]

now you really are joking he would have lit up the theatre of dreams it was made for him , his first two years at barca were immense and i used to sit there thinking if was not for kenyon he would have been with us
1. never though that he is made for epl always felt hes more a la liga player
2. we would had never bough Rooney cuz Ronaldinho is a second striker
yeah Rooney at his best is no better than Ronaldinho a his prime but Rooney is a great future deal also Rooney plays with a mark man better than Ronaldinho do
3. we had enough individuals (Ronaldo and Giggs)

maybe am wrong but am happy that we didn't sign him cuz you would never know what the future would bring you

Edit : lmfao 3 members who posted in this thread are banned

[spellbound]

1. never though that he is made for epl always felt hes more a la liga player
2. we would had never bough Rooney cuz Ronaldinho is a second striker
yeah Rooney at his best is no better than Ronaldinho a his prime but Rooney is a great future deal also Rooney plays with a mark man better than Ronaldinho do
3. we had enough individuals (Ronaldo and Giggs)

maybe am wrong but am happy that we didn't sign him cuz you would never know what the future would bring you
`
Are you sad Abo Pete the grin is with Tjelsy now? If he would still be with us Berbatov deal would never happen.:D He'd mess that up too. ;)

[Zense_United]

he's a dck