Former Manchester United centre-back Rio Ferdinand has revealed that he "came close" to leaving United to join Spanish giants Barcelona following a round of talks with the La Liga outfit.
The defender, who joined the Old Trafford club from Leeds United in July 2002, established himself as one of the best central defenders the Premier League has ever seen over the course of his United career.
Among Ferdinand's long list of successes during his United career was the UEFA Champions League triumph in 2008 when Sir Alex Ferguson's side defeated Chelsea on penalties in an all-English final in Russia.
On their way to that final, United had defeated Barcelona at the semi-final stage, winning 1-0 on aggregate thanks to a goal from Paul Scholes
Read more on manchestereveningnews.co.uk