Barcelona
Martín Montoya has revealed how he came very close to joining Manchester United as a youngster, when he was coming through the Barcelona system.
Mundo Deportivo cover quotes from the 34-year-old today and how he nearly took the same path as Gerard Pique, who moved to Old Trafford, and Cesc Fabregas, who went to Arsenal.
Barcelona youth targeted
Martín Montoya was a product of Barcelona’s famous La Masia academy and went on to make 67 appearances for the first team, as well as 75 for the club’s B team.
Despite serving primarily as a back up to Dani Alves, he was also a major honour winner at the Camp Nou, with three La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey titles, one Champions League and a Supercopa de España.
His career could have been very differently, though. That’s because Manchester United came calling when he was younger.
“I was very close to Manchester United,” he told journalist Rodrigo Rea.
“When I was young, I was close to playing for Manchester United. They came to offer me contracts like they did with Cesc Fabregas and Pique.
“They offered you four years in England, but at that time I didn’t want to. My dream was to play for Barcelona. For me, United is the biggest team in the Premier League.”
Interestingly, Montoya would play alongside both Piqué and Fabregas for Barcelona. That, at least, justified the decision for all three.
Brighton spell
Montoya did eventually end up in England when he joined Brighton in 2018 in a €7m deal. He went on to spend two years with the Seagulls, making 56 appearances in total.
That saw him coincide with Alexis Mac Allister. He’s now at Liverpool but has been linked with a potential shock move this summer by reports in England. Montoya, for his part, is a fan.
“I spent six months with him; he arrived and then went on loan to Boca,” he said.
“A fantastic player, really, although at that time we didn’t think he would reach the level he has now. He was very young, barely spoke English, but he’s a star as a person and as a footballer, he’s doing spectacularly and has a huge future.”
🇩🇪 EXCLUSIVE: Castello Lukeba ‼️
➡️ Source confirms to @Kaus_Pandey17 that Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United interested
➕ Defender tempted by move to Premier League
➡️ Summer decision will depend on project offeredhttps://t.co/2VZ2ljcDv7 #afc #lfc #afc
— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) March 25, 2026