Manchester United’s legendary boss Sir Alex Ferguson allegedly contacted Barcelona in an attempt to prevent Cristiano Ronaldo signing for Real Madrid.

Ferguson, who eventually acquiesced the sale of the Red Devils’ star asset to Los Blancos 2009, had been unimpressed by Real’s Ramon Calderon’s public courting of his player and as a result, the Scott had actively pursued engineering an alternate destination for the star, reports Goal.

Ferguson reportedly attempted to stimulate the Catalan Club’s interest in the star, perhaps in a bid to drive up the price for the Portuguese, but Ronaldo had already set his heart upon linking up with the arch-rival of the Spanish giants.

‘[Sir Alex] flew to Portugal to cut off Madrid’s bid directly,’ Spanish League analyst Guillem Balague wrote in AS. ‘He was clear that he wouldn’t allow his arm to be twisted. This was about much more than a transfer, it was about maintaining his authority in the eyes of the world.

‘For weeks he’d pursued a Machiavellian approach of sorts, but seeing that he couldn’t persuade Cristiano to stay he made contact with Barcelona to encourage them to bid. Anyone but Real Madrid. But Cristiano had made up his mind about where he wanted to go.’

Balague then explained that Ferguson sought to change tactics, forming an agreement with Ronaldo’s agent.

‘Ferguson sought a gentlemen’s agreement that he’d already run by Mendes. He wouldn’t let him leave this year, he said, but if he behaved well over the next twelve months, if he gave enough to the club and Madrid came back with a record fee, he wouldn’t stand in his way.’