Ronaldo was on the verge of joining Real Madrid in 2000.
Miguel Angel Portugal told News of the World: “When Ronaldo was 14 we had the option to do a deal.
“But it was the era of the Galacticos, where we only signed big-name and established players. It was seen as more important to take those names than bet on younger players coming good.”
He added: “We could have had Ronaldo and it was the same with Messi. Unfortunately we are the ones that suffer and we regret we missed out on these players.”
