Barcelona legend reveals why he had Man Utd wish instead of Liverpool

Former Barcelona and Brazil forward Rivaldo has revealed that he would have joined Manchester United if he’d had his pick of Premier League teams.

Rivaldo scored 35 goals for Brazil in 74 caps, and spent five years at Barcelona, where he kept up his commendable scoring record with 130 goals in 235 games.

In the same year that Manchester United won their famous treble in 1999, Rivaldo got his hands on the Ballon D’Or, and there was speculation that the two could have made the perfect match.

And now, Rivaldo has revealed that he would have favoured a move to Old Trafford if the opportunity to come to England had arisen.

“At the time that there were rumours about my potential transfer to Manchester United, they had recently won the Champions League in an epic final against Bayern Munich,” he said.

“I was in the stands at the Nou Camp that night and thought that, if I were going to play in the Premier League one day, my club of choice would be United.

“Of course, there were other good clubs in England then like Arsenal, Chelsea or Liverpool, but United always caught my attention for everything they were achieving and the way they were playing in those days.

“Sir Alex Ferguson always said good things about me when I faced them, so I have a particular affection for the club and it would be my choice if I was allowed to pick any club in the Premier League.

“I remember playing against them in the Champions League, especially in two huge games that ended with the same result – 3-3 – one at Old Trafford and the other at Camp Nou in the 1998/99 competition.”

Rivaldo was linked with United again when the time came for him to leave Barcelona in 2002, but he has previously admitted that it may have just been gossip by then.