Former Juventus sporting director Gianni Di Marzio has revisited their failure to sign Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo.

Juve made an attempt for the then Sporting CP youngster in 2003 before his move to Manchester United.

"When I was working for Juventus, I called Turin and said he was going to be the best player in the world, obviously behind [Diego] Maradona," Di Marzio told Marca.

“I negotiated a deal and took Cristiano to Turin in 2002 to sign for Juventus.

“But Salas didn't accept the swap deal. For a few million euros, Salas didn't want to go and he later ended up at River Plate.

“That is how Juventus lost Cristiano Ronaldo. [Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes] knows this story very well."