On This Day – 6th August
Pre-season friendlies are seen by many fans nowadays as meaningless and a waste of time, but one such friendly on this day back in 2003 helped Sir Alex Ferguson to unearth a gem.
Ferguson’s Manchester United were chosen by Sporting Lisbon to be their opponents for their first game in their new stadium. United sent out quite a strong team and according to Manchester United’s website, debutant Eric Djemba-Djemba made a good impression and played well.
But it wasn’t the Cameroonian who caught Ferguson’s eye in the match. Nor was it any other United player. It was in fact 18 year old Cristiano Ronaldo who impressed the United manager, setting up two goals and making a great all-round performance.
Despite United losing 3-1, Ferguson was delighted that he had found a gem and promptly went back to Lisbon to secure the teenager’s signature. A deal was made with Sporting Lisbon for around £12 million and Ronaldo would stay at Old Trafford for six years, winning every honour going. He was then sold to Real Madrid for a world record fee at the time of £80 million. Not a bad return on the £12 million spent in 2003!
Who says that pre-season friendlies are pointless?!?
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