Sulley Muntari, a former AC Milan and Inter Milan player, recalled his unsuccessful transfer to Manchester United.
Muntari claims that in 2001, he participated in his first overseas trial, spending two weeks with Manchester United’s youth team.
Sulley stated in an interview with Dan Kwaku Yeboah TV that despite having a decent trial, he was forced to leave Ghana after the May 9th stadium disaster.
“Slay (Sellas Tetteh) took me to Manchester United for trials…At that time, Paul Scholes, Roy Keane, Beckham, and everybody so…Yeah it was very good I worked with the junior team. I spent a week or two and that was when the disaster happened. I was there when it happened and I came back home,” he said.
He said while waiting on Man United to send the contract and complete the deal, Udinese presented a deal, which he signed.
“When I came we were waiting for United to give me the contract, so I sign and all that. So we were waiting for the contract to come but then Udinese came right away.”
While explaining why the United deal broke down, he said the English Premier League side wanted him to join their sister club, Royal Antwerp on loan for further assessment.
“Man United was interested but I didn’t play with the national team so I had to go to Belgium, Antwerp because they had a relationship with them. So You pick up.”
Sulley started his career at Liberty Professionals before moving to Udinese and then to Portsmouth, where he established. He later returned to Italy and played for giants like Inter Milan and AC Milan.
He is one of the few Ghanaian players to have won the Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup alongside the Italian Serie A title.
For Ghana, he was one of the most adored players in Black Stars’ history. He scored two goals at the World Cup and helped Ghana reach the quarter-finals in 2010.