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Peter Kenyon shares his side of the story after Manchester United failed to sign Ronaldinho in the summer of 2003.
In 1997, Peter Kenyon was hired from Umbro to become Manchester United’s Deputy Chief Executive.
Kenyon would replace Roland Smith as Chief Executive three years later.
Although Kenyon is credited with helping United transform from a successful football team into a global commercial powerhouse, he left for Chelsea in September 2003.
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Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images Peter Kenyon explains how Man Utd’s pursuit of Ronaldinho ended
United launched a pursuit to sign Brazil legend Ronaldinho from Paris Saint-Germain in 2003.
Sir Alex Ferguson was excited at the prospect of signing Ronaldinho as United sought a big-name signing after losing David Beckham to Real Madrid.
Speaking on the High Performance Podcast, Kenyon revealed that he pulled the plug on signing Ronaldinho before he joined Barcelona.
When asked if there was anyone he had closed the book on, Kenyon replied: “Yeah, for sure.”
He added: “Less about the money but more about the overall environment, Ronaldinho.
“As great a player as he was, he would have joined us and probably disrupted what United was, which was fundamentally a team.”
United went on to sign Cristiano Ronaldo as a teenager from Sporting CP, so it wasn’t too bad a summer for the Red Devils.
It was Kenyon’s last transfer window as Chief Executive. He left to join Chelsea and played a significant role in bringing Jose Mourinho to Stamford Bridge.
⚡️NEWS IN BRIEFPeter Kenyon opens up on Manchester United’s failed pursuit of Ronaldinho in 2003Kenyon admits he pulled the plug on the dealUnited went on to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Sporting CP
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Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images What is Peter Kenyon doing now?
After working at Chelsea, Kenyon spent three years at Middlesbrough as a director, but now his attention has switched to the F1 world.
In 2022, Kenyon became a key advisor to the board at Williams Racing to push for commercial success.
Williams Racing is hoping that Kenyon can deliver the same commercial growth he managed at United and Chelsea in the football industry.
This season, Williams’ two drivers are positioned 14th and 18th in the F1 leaderboard.
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