**Massimo Taibi had a brief spell at [Manchester United](https://sportwitness.co.uk/category/premier-league/manchester-united/) between 1999 and 2000.** The Italian never really made an impact but still harbours regret about his departure.
Taibi joined the Red Devils from Venezia for £4.5m, which was a significant amount at that point. He came up with a famous performance against Liverpool soon after his arrival but in other games, things fell flat.
He was nicknamed ‘The Blind Venetian’, as the English press took shots at his inability to save shots. Only six months after the move to Manchester United, he ended up joining Reggina on loan before having had a very good spell at Atalanta.
Now, the ex-goalkeeper has opened up about his time at Old Trafford.
**Good relationship with Ferguson**
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In an interview with [Gazzetta dello Sport](https://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/Serie-A/Milan/14-04-2026/massimo-taibi-intervista-berlusconi-ferguson.shtml), Taibi revealed how the move came about.
He also disclosed his good relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson, despite the occasional hairdryer treatment.
_“It was a spectacle. It was 1999, I arrived in Manchester as a semi-unknown. They wanted to sign Toldo at first, then they bought me while I was playing for Venezia. And Sir Alex even came to pick me up at the airport and introduced me to the entire management._
_“It was 8 pm, it wasn’t a given. We had a good relationship, even though at half-time of that 5-0 Chelsea-Manchester United game he gave me a dirty look that I still remember.”_
Adding more details about the 5-0 loss to Chelsea, Taibi said Ferguson was furious at half-time.
_“I made a mistake and conceded a goal. At halftime, he turned the locker room upside down. When he got angry, he shook the walls. He took it out on everyone, even me. He looked at me badly and said, ‘Massimo, that save…’ But he would have kept me on.”_
The ex-goalkeeper made it clear he shouldn’t have left the club permanently. He had a family emergency to solve but had a four-year deal at Manchester United.
_“I was the one who made the mistake of leaving. I had a family problem in Italy and I was in a hurry to resolve it.”_
Describing the exit as his biggest regret, he said: _“Yes, I had a four-year contract. I was the best player on the pitch at Liverpool, then I made that mistake I was telling you about._
_“Ferguson advised me to learn the language and stay to play my cards right. I was wrong to be impulsive.”_
**Our take: Departure decision changed Taibi’s career**
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At that point, Manchester United were slowly heading towards a transition in the goalkeeping department. Taibi’s decision to leave was his own and it wasn’t as if he was forced out.
If he had managed to ride over the storm, he could’ve become the club’s first-choice in the long-term. Granted, he had a difficult start to life in England but as he himself says – there was enough promise too.