Raghavendra Goudar
Sir Alex Ferguson wanted to sign Karim Benzema claims Rio Ferdinand
Speaking on BT Sport, as relayed by the Daily Star, former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has revealed that Sir Alex Ferguson was desperate to sign Karim Benzema before he joined Real Madrid.
Benzema came through the ranks at French club Olympique Lyon and went on to make 148 senior appearances for the club between 2004 and 2009. He scored 66 goals during that period, while also setting up 26 more. (h/t Transfermarkt.com)
Seeing his exploits, Real Madrid snapped him up in 2009 in a deal worth an initial £31m.
Sir Alex brought in a number of special players to the club during his 25-year-old tenure at Old Trafford. And Ferdinand has now claimed that he wanted to sign Benzema, when he was still plying his trade in France. (h/t Daily Star)
“I love him, I played against him at Lyon and he was so impressive. Sir Alex Ferguson was desperate to sign him as a kid, and you can see why. This guy has had a sustained amount of success at the top level.”
However, we were unable to land the Frenchman, who has grown into a world-beater since joining Real Madrid. In over a decade at the Bernabeu, he has racked up 513 appearances, scoring 249 goals in the process.
The 32-year-old Frenchman has won a host of titles and trophies during his time in Spain, including four UEFA Champions League triumphs.
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Given how he has developed since leaving Lyon, one can only imagine how brilliant an addition he would have been for us. Him, lining up with club legend Wayne Rooney, would have sent shivers down the spines of opposition defenders.
