Sir Alex Ferguson managed to convince some of the best players in the world to join Manchester United but was snubbed by football icon Edgar Davids.
The Dutch legend had the chance to move to Manchester in 1996 and even met ‘charming’ Fergie ahead of a possible switch to Old Trafford.
By that point Ferguson had begun to turn United into the best and most successful team in England, lifting his first of 13 Premier League titles in 1993.
Davids was one of the biggest stars in football in the 1990s, helping a great Ajax side win three Eredivisie titles and the Champions League.
He also became a firm fans’ favourite as one of the most gifted and recognisable players on the planet, often dominating opponents while donning dreadlocked hair and protective goggles.
Ferguson clearly went all out to sign Davids, who described a conversation they had as ‘one of the most unbelievable experiences I had in my whole career’.
But his strong desire to play in Serie A ultimately saw Davids join AC Milan in the summer of 1996.
‘When I left Ajax in 1996 there was a good chance of me going to Manchester United,’ the former Netherlands midfielder told BetMGM.
‘I had a conversation with Sir Alex Ferguson and it was one of the most unbelievable experiences I had in my whole career. He was funny, charming, intelligent – basically everything you wanted.
‘The big boys were in Serie A and that’s where I wanted to go at that time of my career. That was the main reason why I chose to go to AC Milan.
‘I don’t regret not going to Manchester United. I’ve seen Sir Alex since and we had a good laugh about it all and there are still the same good feelings between us.’
Davids suffered a horror leg break during an underwhelming spell at Milan but re-established himself as one of the best players in the world during his subsequent seven-year stint at Juventus, helping the club win three Serie A titles.
Spells at Barcelona, Inter Milan and Tottenham followed for Davids, who had earned 74 caps for Netherlands by the time he hung up his boots in 2010.
Towards the end of his impressive playing career, Davids was named by Brazil legend Pele as one of the top-125 greatest living footballers to mark Fifa’s 100th anniversary.
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