Liverpool have signed some brilliant players from abroad, with the likes of Fernando Torres and Luis Suarez enjoying their first taste of English football at Anfield.

More recently, the likes of Alisson and Mohamed Salah have transformed the Reds after swapping Roma for Liverpool. However, those at Anfield almost signed Cristiano Ronaldo back in 2003, with the Reds agreeing to pay the superstar just £20,000-a-week.

Ronaldo, as we know, would move to England with Manchester United, starring against Liverpool in the Premier League and becoming a world star under Sir Alex Ferguson.

The Portuguese icon then went to Real Madrid in one of the most high-profile transfers of all time, scoring goals for fun at the Bernabeu.

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In total, for both Man Utd and Real Madrid, Ronaldo faced Liverpool on 14 occasions in all competitions and had a successful record, scoring three goals and providing two assists.

Games

14

Wins

9

Draws

1

Losses

4

Goals scored

3

Assists

2

Things could have been very different for Ronaldo in England, though, prior to his £12m+ move to Old Trafford.

Liverpool agreed deal to sign Cristiano Ronaldo for £4m

Talking previously to The Athletic, relayed by One Football, former Liverpool assistant manager Phil Thompson shared details on the Reds’ proposed move to sign Ronaldo from Sporting CP.

He stated that Liverpool were set to pay a total fee of just £4m for Ronaldo, who was set to earn £1m-a-year (£20,000-a-week) on Merseyside.

However, with the deal progressing nicely, Thompson and then Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier were left stunned after seeing on Sky Sports that Ronaldo had instead signed for Man Utd.

A case of what could have been for Liverpool with Ronaldo, and Houllier and Thompson ended up signing Harry Kewell from Leeds United instead.