Former Juventus forward Alessandro Del Piero confirmed that Sir Alex Ferguson wanted Manchester United to sign him and Fabio Capello also revealed that he almost took the job at the Red Devils.
The former forward became a club legend in Turin after spending 19 years with the club, where he scored 290 goals and provided 179 assists in 705 appearances.
Capello rose to prominence with his successful five-year spell in charge of Milan and spent time with Real Madrid, Roma and Juventus before taking on the England job in 2007.
Speaking in the Sky Sports Italia studio, journalist Paolo Condo stated that there were “two Italians that he (Ferguson, ed.) wanted, Del Piero and Maldini.”
“Yes, he did. I can confirm that,” said Del Piero with a smile. He was then asked when this was, and Del Piero gave a quick reply, “Before 2000, but actually even afterward. But don’t let me say any more then, if not…”
Capello, who is a regular pundit on Sky Sports Italia, then revealed that he almost joined Manchester United as well.
“There’s another one. His son and agent came to visit me in Rome, we almost reached an agreement. When I returned home, I saw Ferguson had been confirmed there for three more years.
“In the morning he called me and said: ‘I am sorry Fabio, my wife wants me to work, she doesn’t want me at home, sorry, sorry’.”
Interestingly, Del Piero took part in Manchester United’s first ever loss to an Italian team at Old Trafford, scoring the decisive goal to help Juventus edge out a 1-0 win in the Champions League in November 1996.
The former forward remained loyal to Juventus throughout his career and was surprised when they decided not to renew his contract in 2012.