Although his time at Manchester United was arguably nothing like Sir Alex Ferguson expected, Kleberson has now let it be known that he joined the Old Trafford outfit because he was expecting to be immediately followed by one of his Brazilian World Cup-winning team-mates.
Ronaldinho was on the verge of leaving PSG, and though Kleberson believed his international colleague would also end up in Manchester, Ronaldinho plumped instead for a transfer to Barcelona.
“When we speak now, I always say, ‘You (Ronaldinho) told me to go to United and then you went to Spain!’ Kleberson told Goal.com.
“We were sat down in a room in France with his brother and we were talking about interest from United in both of us. He didn’t say he was definitely going but I was convinced he was, so I decided I was going to United.
“When I got back to Brazil after the Confederations Cup, I started watching English TV to help learn the language but then, Ronaldinho went to Barcelona!”
The trajectory of the two at club level from that point couldn’t have been more marked. Ronaldinho changed the face of Barcelona and helped them to a 2006 Champions League final win over Arsenal.
Meanwhile, Kleberson’s time at United was nothing short of a disaster. Manchester Evening News report that he only stayed for two seasons, and it was a period in his career where he became susceptible to injuries and, as a consequence, poor form. Just two goals, both scored in his first season at the club, is all he had to show for his time there.