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‘Ronaldinho Tricked Me Into Difficult Man United Transfer – He Still Owes Me’
Robin Mumford
28 – 36 minutes
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Throughout the entirety of the 2000s, being a Brazilian player at Barcelona was one of the luckiest gigs in football. Take Rivaldo and Dani Alves, for example, just two of the many who basked in the glory of representing both club and country at the very highest level. At the time, Brazil and Barca went together like the sea and the sunset.
There was a certain royalty associated with those players, and it quickly became a dream for Latin footballers to ply their trade in Spain at the turn of the century. But for Kleberson, rejecting that dream and going elsewhere turned out to be a sliding doors moment in his career. After winning the 2002 World Cup with Brazil, the world was the youngster’s oyster, until a teammate’s advice led him down a very different path.
You see, Ronaldinho was supposed to join him at Manchester United in 2003. That was the plan. But at the very last minute, the future Ballon d’Or winner pulled the rug out from under him, choosing Camp Nou instead. To this day, Kleberson explains that his compatriot owes him one.
Rio Ferdinand Ballon d’Or
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Ronaldinho Tricked Kleberson Into Man United Move in 2003
They had both agreed to move to Old Trafford together
Ronaldinho, Kleberson, and Brazil teammates
It may not seem that way in hindsight, but Kleberson was one of the star performers at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea. In the final – a 2-0 victory over Germany – he struck the crossbar from distance and set up Ronaldo’s second goal, leaving a lasting impression on the biggest stage. “He was always the first name on the team list, ahead of players like Ronaldo,” said national team boss Luiz Felipe Scolari.
“Kleberson will have no problem adapting to the Premiership,” he continued, as per talkSPORT. But his £6.5 million switch to Old Trafford didn’t come about under usual circumstances at all. Kleberson was also wanted by Celtic, Leeds United, Newcastle, and Barcelona, but his decision was made easy by another teammate’s desires – or at least he thought. “There were two clubs interested in signing me: Manchester United and Leeds,” he recalled for FourFourTwo Magazine.
“It was an easy choice, but there’s a funny story about it, too. When [Manchester] United’s interest in me was confirmed, I was with the national team in France for the FIFA Confederations Cup.
“I can remember it clearly: I was with Ronaldinho and his brother/agent, Assis. Ronaldinho said, ‘They want to sign both of us’ and I said, ‘OK, let’s go, then!’ I was so glad that he would be coming with me.
“I went back to Brazil and kept negotiating with United, but then Ronaldinho fooled me and went to play in the warm weather at Barcelona! He sent me to Manchester. That’s a joke between us until today. He knows that he owes me one.”
How Kleberson’s Man United Career Unfolded
The Brazilian only stayed at Old Trafford for 24 months
Kleberson
Ronaldinho had been lined up as the heir to David Beckham, who was heading for Real Madrid that summer, but Barcelona swooped in, eager to match Los Blancos’ latest Galactico. Left empty-handed, Manchester United instead unveiled Ronaldinho’s compatriot, Kleberson, alongside a bright-eyed youngster from Madeira – none other than a certain Cristiano Ronaldo.
While the sprightly winger dazzled his way into fans’ hearts and onto the path to five Ballons d’Or, Kleberson’s star quickly fizzled out. Things got so bad that Roy Keane, never shy with his temper, famously unleashed his wrath on the Brazilian – a story Eric Djemba-Djemba later confirmed with a wince.
“In the dressing room, he [Keane] was a good guy. He was very affectionate,” Djemba-Djemba told The Sun in 2018. “But on the pitch…. If you had a gun, you’d want to shoot him. He’d insult you, he’d say anything and everything.
“I remember he used to shout at Kleberson, who was a very quiet guy who never spoke and was always laughing. Keane would always shout at him, ‘Wake up, you’re not in Brazil now on the Copacabana. Run!’”
Hampered by injuries and struggling to adapt to the Premier League’s physical demands, he made just 30 appearances across two seasons, scoring twice. Despite early promise, he never nailed down a regular spot and was sold to Turkish side Besiktas in 2005.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News back in 2019, Kleberson said: “In my time at United, there was a great team with world-class players. I came with a lot of change in the team, there was five or six new players and the club were losing a couple of good players.
“We came in strong mentally to try and help the team, and of course we were doing well, then the team is doing well; players adapt to this and bring their best performance. When the team isn’t doing well, it’s hard to change your style. I couldn’t do it. When I came to Man United, I tried to change the player I was, more passes, more aggression, more tackles, but it’s too hard and wasn’t what my game was about.
“From 17 to 24 years old, I was playing that fluent Brazilian style, to move the ball quickly and receive it in space. At Man United, I had tough moments a lot of the time, I got a lot of injuries and struggled a lot. It was a difficult time, and when you see a lot of evaluation from your performance at top teams the criticism can be very high, particularly at Man United.”
Kleberson’s Career Statistics
Years
Club
Games
1999-2003
Atletico Paranaense
80
2003-2005
Manchester United
30
2005-2007
Besiktas
67
2007-2012
Flamengo
86
2011
Atletico Paranaense (loan)
18
2012-2013
Bahia
23
2013
Philadelphia Union (loan)
11
2014-2015
Indy Eleven
18
2016
Fort Lauderdale Strikers
5
His career never truly regained momentum, bouncing around clubs in Brazil and the United States before eventually retiring in 2016. Kleberson remains one of Sir Alex Ferguson’s rare misfires in the transfer market, but you can still find him in and around the sport as he is currently serving as Pascal Jansen’s assistant coach at New York City in the MLS.
All sta
tistics courtesy of Transfermarkt (correct as of 27/04/2025)
