England legend Gary Lineker claims that Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward signed Cristiano Ronaldo while in his back garden.
One of the headline moves of the summer saw Ronaldo switch Juventus for Old Trafford, sealing a return to the Red Devils over a decade after he originally left for Real Madrid.
Now, Lineker has revealed that at least part of the negotiations were carried out by Woodward from the former Tottenham striker’s back garden.
“I’ll put my cards on the table,” Lineker told BBC Sport: “Ed Woodward’s a good friend of mine and he’s my neighbour. He signed Ronaldo when he was in my garden!
“It was awesome. I knew when he walked in and he was on the phone to [Ronaldo’s agent Jorge] Mendes or someone. I hope I’m not giving too much away here, but he did sign him, so… yeah!
“I’ve got a fantastic picture of him on the phone with him in the back garden, which I might share one day with his permission.”