Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest footballers of all time. It's easy to say that in 2025, but in 2003, that was far from a certainty.
That's not to say there weren't many admirers of his talent. Indeed, the young Sporting CP winger had caught the eye of many big clubs across Europe. Arsenal were interested, with Arsene Wenger later admitting it was a huge regret that he couldn't get a deal across the line.
In the end, Manchester United swooped in and signed Ronaldo. At Old Trafford, he would develop into a Ballon d'Or winner, before going on to even bigger things in his career, most notably at Real Madrid.
However, in the years since, it has emerged that Barcelona could have signed the youngster for just £14m in 2003. Club president Joan Laporta would later admit this, but reveal that the club prioritised three other signings instead:
"We were about to sign Ronaldinho and Rafa Marquez. "Marquez's people proposed Cristiano Ronaldo to us. He was at Sporting at the time.
"One of his agents said that they had a player who they had sold to [Manchester] United for €19 million, but they'd sell him to us for €17 million.
"But we had already invested in Ronaldinho at the time. Cristiano played more out wide than in the centre. We thought we were covered, so we rejected him and I don't regret it."
Ronaldinho
Ballon d'Or winning Brazilian
The decision to bring Ronaldinho in 2003 certainly wasn't a bad move. The Brazilian icon would spend five seasons in Spain, winning the Ballon d'Or in 2005, as well as two La Liga titles and the Champions League.
As Laporta points out, Ronaldo would have played on the same wing as Ronaldinho, so it would have been hard to get them both into the same team anyway. And with one Lionel Messi emerging on the other flank, it's fair to say the attacking balance of the team was pretty well-stocked.
Rafa Marquez
Iconic Mexican defender
Mexican defender Rafa Marquez also arrived in 2003 and would go on to prove himself as one of the finest defenders of a generation. Leaving in 2010, with four La Liga titles, a Copa del Rey, a Club World Cup, and two Champions League trophies under his belt, it's fair to say this was a pretty good signing too.
What's more, Marquez quickly established himself as a leader within the group at Barcelona. Famously, he even once told off a young Messi and Pep Guardiola sided with the Mexican, telling the young forward to 'respect' the defender's seniority.
Cristiano Ronaldo looking dejected Related
Why Pep Guardiola Turned Down Cristiano Ronaldo at Man City
The Catalan coach had the chance to sign one of football's greatest ever players, but turned him down
Ricardo Quaresma
Portuguese winger who flopped at Barcelona
The final name on the list was Ricardo Quaresma. Interestingly enough, the Portuguese star had the same agent as Ronaldo, Jorge Mendes. When the pair were emerging at Sporting Lisbon, many felt Quaresma was the brighter talent.
This explains why Barcelona snubbed Ronaldo for his countryman. Quaresma spent just one season in Spain, before moving to Porto. He didn't have a bad career by any means, but considering he flopped at the Camp Nou, and with Ronaldo reaching much greater heights, Barca clearly got this one wrong.