Former centre-back Rio Ferdinand has detailed how he believes Sir Alex Ferguson always regretted not being able to bring Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema to Manchester United.
Ferdinand made the admission after Benzema netted his 12th Champions League goal of the season in Madrid's 3-2 defeat to Chelsea in the second-leg of quarter-final showdown on Tuesday. Despite being beaten on the night, Benzema's goal in the first-half of extra-time ensured Madrid won the tie 5-4 on aggregate, booking their place in the semi-finals.
The Frenchman netted a hat-trick in the first-leg at Stamford Bridge last week, meaning that he has now scored seven goals in his last three Champions League outings. Despite recently turning 34, he has been outstanding for Madrid this season, notching 38 goals in 38 appearances.
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He has now scored 317 goals for the Spanish giants since joining them from Lyon in the summer of 2009 and has established himself as one of the best No.9s in the world during that time. However, his career may have mapped out differently had United and Ferguson had got their hands on him.
Ferdinand has explained how keen Ferguson was on signing the striker before his move Madrid. United made a formal offer for him, but the France international favoured a move to the Spanish capital.
Ferdinand told BT Sport : "The first time I played against him was 2008, and that was the first time I had seen him up close and personal. If you see the goal he scored against us, look how many players are around him, but all he needed was one touch, it was all one motion.
"I remember coming off the pitch and Sir Alex Ferguson said, 'don't worry, I'm trying to get him'. But with his African connections, and how influential Real Madrid were, he chose them.
"I think, looking back, Sir Alex will believe that is one of his biggest regrets not getting him to sign for the club."
Back in 2019, Lyon owner and president Jean-Michel Aulas admitted that United had offered a better financial deal than Madrid to sign Benzema. However, the striker had his heart set on joining the 13-time European champions.
"When Karim was solicited to leave Lyon, we had two offers: Manchester United and Real Madrid," Aulas told beIN Sports in 2019. "Karim, like Nabil Fekir, came to see me, and that's where there's relationships that show trust, and told me ‘My dream is to play for Real Madrid.'
"And so he went to Real Madrid for an inferior fee to what we had from Manchester United."
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