Ronaldo Nazario – affectionally, and more commonly, known as R9 – was a once-in-a-generation talent. Barcelona, Real Madrid and both sides in Milan were all lucky enough to home the Brazilian during his career; but once, as revealed by his agent, there was an ‘incredible’ offer on the cards from Rangers.
That’s right, your eyes are not deceiving you. Ronaldo, who is (rightfully so!) regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, had the chance to spend a chunk of his playing days in the city of Glasgow – but, instead, he chose to move to Inter Milan.
Although defender James Tavernier is the club’s all-time top goalscorer, Rangers have possessed plenty of attacking talent throughout the years, including the likes of Ally McCoist, Brian Laudrup and Paul Gascoigne. Securing the services of Ronaldo, however, would’ve blown those out of the water.
Inside Rangers’ ‘Incredible’ Offer for Ronaldo Nazario Once He Left Barcelona in 1997
ronaldo nazario 2002 world cup
After leaving Barcelona, a club he scored 47 goals for in 49 outings, in 1997, R9 was whiskers away from moving to Scotland to be unveiled as Rangers’ marquee signing of the summer. Well, let’s have it right, acquiring the talisman would have been the Glaswegian club’s greatest signing of all time.
The Gers – widely considered one of the biggest clubs in British football history – offered the Brazilian icon the chance to sign three years before the turn of the milennium, though he would only be asked to play in European games, most notably in the Champions League, under boss Walter Smith.
Ronaldo's agent, Giovanni Branchini, once recalled the intricate details in the Rangers’ incredible offer to the two-time Ballon d’Or winner. Per FourFourTwo, he claimed that a triumvirate of clubs – Inter, Lazio and Rangers – were all keen admirers of the Brazilian. He said:
“The clause in his contract was a novelty at the time, and it scared a lot of clubs off. The three who were really interested were Inter, Lazio and Glasgow Rangers, who followed negotiations all the way. The offer from Glasgow Rangers was incredible."
Ronaldo Nazario
Desperate times call for desperate measures – and the offer the Scottish outfit put on the table was a bid to help them win the Champions League. At that point, and still at the time of writing, no Scottish club has ever won the Champions League. Celtic, however, did win the European Cup in 1966/97.
“They told us he didn’t have to play on a Saturday in the Scottish league. They were desperate to win the Champions League and were going to allow him to play in the European matches only.”
In the end, Inter's long-standing interest – spanning back to his days on the books of Sao Cristovao and Cruzeiro – paid dividends, as Branchini added: "But Inter had followed him from when he used to play in Brazil. Barcelona reneged on a new contract and Inter were the first club to meet the release clause, so he went there.”
Ronaldo Nazario - Senior Career Statistics
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Ronaldo went on to spend a five-season stint on the blue side of Milan, plundering 70 goal contributions in just shy of a century of appearances. Then, a 177-game spell at Real Madrid followed before he returned to the Italian capital to play for AC Milan. How things could’ve been different if he chose the Ibrox Stadium over San Siro in 1997.
Ronaldo himself once confirmed Rangers’ interest. As you can watch below, he said: “Yes, it’s true I received an offer from Glasgow Rangers. We looked at it and decided that the best offer, at the time, was from Inter Milan,” he said. “So I gave my apologise to all other interested parties and said Inter was my choice.”
All statistics per Transfermarkt - correct as of 06/09/2025