After an undercover scouting operation, Liverpool called Cristiano Ronaldo to try to sign him

 LIVERPOOL

Liverpool’s phone call to sign Cristiano Ronaldo after secret scouting mission

When Liverpool was led by Gerard Houllier and Phil Thompson served as his assistant manager, the Reds were serious candidates to recruit future five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo

For those connected to Liverpool, Cristiano Ronaldo will always be remembered as the player who got away.

The Reds were serious contenders to recruit the future five-time Ballon d’Or winner back when Merseyside manager Gerard Houllier was in charge with Phil Thompson as his assistant. winner from his first club, Sporting Lisbon.

Thompson claims that the young player was valued at a pitiful £4 million and was being offered to a number of clubs at the time by his agent, Paul Stretford, including Manchester United and Newcastle. Liverpool were keen in signing up the wonderkid and the Reds assistant travelled over to Portugal to perform a scouting expedition.

To iron out the finer points, Thompson even had supper in Portugal with Tony Henry, a coworker of Stretford.

Thompson recalled the transfer controversy to Paddy Power and said: “When I worked with Gerard Houllier at Liverpool, there were a few players who we were unable to acquire. One person wasn’t particularly well-known, if at all, but he managed to succeed in both life and football. He had the last name of Cristiano Ronaldo, I believe.

We went to look at him because his agent, Paul Stretford, had offered him to numerous clubs and we had also been offered him. People were interested in him, and I recall Manchester United and Newcastle being mentioned.

“We spoke while I watched the final game of the campaign there in Portugal. After that on Sunday, I returned to Liverpool on Monday and went to training. While we were sitting there, I told Gerard Houllier, “This boy’s a player, he’s great!” Everyone had made him an offer for £4 million. Over the course of his four-year deal, he requested £1 million, and it could have been done fairly cheaply.”

When watching the news, Liverpool appeared to be certain that they had completed the transfer of Ronaldo, only to find out that Man United had beaten them to the punch.

Houllier was upset by the situation and gave Thompson the go-ahead to call Liverpool and inquire about what had happened and whether a deal could still be salvaged.

Then, Thompson added, “Cristiano Ronaldo signed for United for £12.2 million, and it appears on the screen on the strap at the bottom of Sky Sports News.

What the heck happened there, Phil? asked Gerard Houllier. I thought it was $4 million. I considered that to be debatable! Get on the agent and find out why, he commanded. As I called Tony Henry, who I traveled to that location with and who works with Paul Stretford, he said, “Phil, when I got off the airport I got a phone call and were told “You’re off the deal,”

You can decide what happened there, but it was close. Nevertheless, he has done well for himself, hasn’t he?

In an earlier interview with The Athletic, Thompson expressed regret about Liverpool’s failure to sign Ronaldo, saying that he and Houllier “almost choked” on their meals when they learned that United had won the trade race.