Sir Alex Ferguson did everything in his power to try and land one remarkable former Manchester United player ahead of La Liga outfit Real Madrid.
However, the 83-year-old iconic Scotsman would fail in his bid to sign the missed Manchester United target, who would later complete a move to Old Trafford.
The aforementioned incident happened in 2011 and the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson would bow out of the Premier League club as United manager only two years later.
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Which one striker at their peak would you re-sign for Manchester United right now?
Ferguson engineered United’s famous treble win and the beloved Scot would lead the Red Devils to all 13 of their Premier League titles in the modern era of football.
The United legend called it time on his legendary 26-year reign at Old Trafford after the Premier League club’s last league triumph in the 2012-13 campaign.
Ferguson, who enjoyed incredible success with Aberdeen as head coach, is regarded as one of the best managers of all time after his impact in England and Scotland.
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Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson looks on during the Gary Neville testimonial match between Manchester United and Juventus at Old Trafford in 2011 in Manchester, England.
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
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Raphael Varane reveals what happened between him and Sir Alex Ferguson amid Man Utd and Real Madrid’s interest in 2011
Former Manchester United defender Raphael Varane had climbed into the Lens first team in 2010 after spending time in the Ligue 1 club’s youth academy set-up.
The Red Devils were linked with the 32-year-old Frenchman in 2011 and Sir Alex Ferguson was keen to bring Raphael Varane to Old Trafford after he caught his eye.
Varane’s impressive emergence at French side Lens also put him on the radar of Real Madrid, with Los Blancos eventually landing him in a stunning transfer in 2011.
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Speaking to Diario AS, the former France international admitted that he was “very impressed” when Ferguson made a personal pitstop at his home in France.
When asked about transfer interests from other clubs, Varane said: “Many, actually.
“Ferguson even came to see me personally at home. He had a trip planned to Paris, and Lille is on the way. And he stopped. I couldn’t believe it.
“Between the fact that I don’t speak English and that he has a very strong accent, it was difficult to understand each other. But I was very impressed, to be honest.”
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Sir Alex Ferguson’s version of events over Man Utd missing out on signing Raphael Varane from Lens ahead of Real Madrid
Real Madrid snapped up Raphael Varane for a transfer fee of around €10m and the 2018 World Cup winner enjoyed a prolific spell in the Spanish capital.
Varane lifted three La Liga titles, four Champions League trophies and a Copa del Rey before he left Madrid and signed for United in 2021 for an initial fee of £34m.
Speaking in his 2015 book ‘Leading,’ Ferguson admitted that he was desperate to sign Varane from Lens before Madrid beat United in the race to land the Frenchman.
Which one striker at their peak would you re-sign for Manchester United right now?
“In 2011, I hurtled down on the train from Euston to Lille to sign the young French defender Raphael Varane,” he wrote, as per Manchester United’s official website.
“David Gill was getting into the finer points of the contract with Lens, Varane’s club, when Zinedine Zidane got wind of this and somehow scooped him up for Real Madrid from under our noses.
“I don’t think Jose Mourinho, who was managing Real Madrid, had even seen Varane play.”
Varane left United as a free agent in 2024 after the club’s FA Cup final win before signing for Serie A outfit Como in July and retiring only months later in September.