Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon has spoken of laying the groundwork for the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Calderon has long claimed he set up the deal for the Portuguese, now of Juventus, only for his successor Florentino Perez to claim the glory.
He told Gazzetta dello Sport: "It took me two years to get him. He was very close to United, and United was close to him. In the end, he gave me his consent, but in August 2008, when we were in Bogota for a friendly match, he asked me to stay another year in Manchester, to thank the club and Sir Alex Ferguson.
"I accepted and in December, we signed the contract for the next summer."