Former Manchester United goalkeeper Massimo Taibi had a brief, disastrous spell at Old Trafford. It could have been very different.
One thing Manchester United have consistently struggled with over the years has been succession planning.
The club are still trying to find a successor to Sir Alex Ferguson, but it is an issue with players too, even during the great manager’s era.
The biggest struggle was sparked by Peter Schmeichel’s decision to quit the club in 1999. It took six years to find a worthy successor, with Edwin van der Sar bought in 2005.
One of the many failed experiments in goal was Massimo Taibi, bought from Italian side Venezia in 1999.
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Photo by PATRICK HERTZOG/AFP via Getty Images
Massimo Taibi: Manchester United wanted Francisco Toldo
Massimo Taibi played only four matches for Manchester United in 1999/2000, before he was swiftly sold to Reggina.
Now in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, Taibi has claimed Manchester United wanted to sign another Italian goalkeeper instead, Francisco Toldo.
Taibi explained: “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.”
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Toldo was playing for Fiorentina at the time, later signing with Inter Milan in 2001.
He earned 28 caps for Italy and was their first choice during Euro 2000, where they finished runner-up.
Toldo actually played against Manchester United that same 1999/2000 season in the Champions League, keeping a clean sheet in a 2-0 Fiorentina win at home. He was on the losing side in a 3-1 loss at Old Trafford, best remembered for a spectacular Gabriel Batistuta goal.
Toldo retired in 2010, having been an unused substitute in Inter’s Champions League knockout defeat to United in 2008/09.
He told Sky Sports in 2000: “I love watching the Premiership. Manchester United win a lot, and they asked me to join them during the summer but I didn`t go there.”
Manchester United signed Taibi instead, and it did not go well.
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Taibi regrets not sticking around at United
Despite a positive debut against Liverpool, Massimo Taibi is better remembered for conceding five goals against Chelsea, and committing a horrendous error at home to Southampton.
Speaking about Sir Alex Ferguson, Taibi commented: “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.
“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.”
Taibi still regrets not fighting for his place at United and leaving after just one season.
“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.”
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