Kleberson reveals old Ronaldinho conversation ahead of Manchester United move

Kleberson has explained the exchange he had with Ronaldinho ahead of his move to Manchester United.

Kleberson, signed by Manchester United in 2003 to replace the outgoing Juan Sebastian Verón, who had moved on to Chelsea, has explained that Ronaldinho asked him for advice about signing for Manchester United ahead of the brilliant Brazilian’s collapsed move.

Just 23 years old at the time, Ronaldinho was set to sign for Manchester United before he was even eventually convinced by Joan Laporta to sign for Barcelona.

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since, much has been made of the ultimate timeline in which Ronaldinho signed for Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson, with many arguing that the club may have had even more dominant success and better success in Europe.

“I talked to Ronaldinho a lot about Manchester United at that time,” Kleberson told The Athletic. “I remember him saying to me, ‘They want to sign us, what do you think?’

“I was saying, ‘Yeah, I’m going! Manchester United? Very nice, That’s a big club’. After that, I never spoke to him about it anymore. I don’t know why he decided against it. But for me, it would have been easier if Ronaldinho had been there. We were big friends and had played together at the World Cup.”

Kleberson also explained why he feels his move to Manchester United ultimately was not successful.

In the year before I joined Manchester United, I played 62 games in a season,” said Kleberson. “I tried to adapt my style of play. I tried to learn the way United play. It was so different, though.

“I got some injuries and that pushed me back. I was competing against guys like Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, Darren Fletcher and Ryan Giggs. Those guys were big stars who understood the culture.

“Plus the Premier League is so competitive — a lot of transition, a lot of long balls, the opponents are always close to you.

“In Brazil, if I was playing in the middle, I might have time to control the ball, take a turn and find the space to shoot at goal. In England, there were two or three guys blocking the shot.

“It’s about adaptation. Some players arrive at a club and they are amazing straight away. Others need time. I’m almost jealous of those guys who come to England and first time, boom, they are playing at that level.”

These days, Kleberson plies his trade as an assistant coach at New York City FC, part of the City Football Group empire.

he left Manchester United in 2005 to sign for the Turkish team Besiktas before retiring in 2016 to take up coaching.