The former Manchester United star was forced to leave Liverpool due to the lawyer’s involvement
Former Manchester United star Gabriel Heinze was once forced to move to Liverpool.
In 2007, Heinze attempted to become the first player to switch directly between United and Liverpool since Phil Chisnal moved to Anfield for £25,000 in 1964. Heinze’s agent Roberto Rodriguez has since been told by United chief executive David Gill that the £6.8m fee was only possible if left-back Sir Alex Ferguson stepped in to block the deal.
This prompted the player to hire a law firm in Liverpool. Ferguson was furious when the Merseyside transfer fell through.Ferguson: “I’m sure Liverpool won’t buy Gabriel Heinze.” Now I can put him to bed and I did.”I made him several offers and he accepted.
Heinze’s agents keep the ball rolling.“But regardless of what his agent thinks, we’re in the driver’s seat. “It was all done by my agent, so I don’t know what Gabi thinks, but it’s been going on for a year and a half.
“The Scot said: “We know he is getting legal advice but that is fine. We rely on this advice a lot, so we hope this is good advice. “I know there is speculation that he will hire a lawyer from Liverpool, but I have no concerns about that.” Either he has a case or he doesn’t.
Meanwhile, then Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez expressed his disappointment at United’s refusal to sell Heinze. He said: “Obviously he’s a player we like and a very good player.”So they don’t want to go to us. I made an offer but they refused. “Now the lawyers are working, so we have to wait,” he said.
Simon Jordan, then chairman of Crystal Palace, announced that the Eagles had taken the opportunity to sign Heinze, who would transfer him immediately to Liverpool and receive £1 million as compensation for his trouble. Jordan wrote in his diary: “The gist of the story is that this agent wanted Crystal Palace to buy Gabriel Heinze from Manchester United and sell him immediately to Liverpool.”
“My position was that we shouldn’t get involved and I told [Palace chief executive Phil] Alexander to contact Manchester United chief executive David Gill and tell him about this joke. He did what which must be.” “Of course I took the opportunity to tell Phil that I wanted Gill to remember him well.
“As a result, there was a Premier League row between Heinze and United that we had to witness and this strange and insidious situation was handled by others.
“Evidence from the above meeting was later used at the hearing won by United. After the offer to join Liverpool fell through, Heinze told the Daily Mail via talkSPORT: “My fight is for the freedom to negotiate with any club. “Manchester United never wanted me to move to one of the big clubs, but against Liverpool, this was incredible.
“Heinze then signed for Real Madrid and helped Los Blancos win La Liga in his first season. The Argentine later said he regretted pursuing a move to United’s rivals.
The former Manchester United player is now completely unrecognizable. Football players spend their careers paying close attention to fitness, diet and sometimes appearance, and performance and brand offerings are often linked to both.
While some still struggle with these issues after retirement, others choose to live a free, enjoyable and stress-free life away from the rigors of elite sport. The latter can prevent former fans from recognizing when some of the more popular stars are reaping the rewards for their efforts.
Of course, this also applies to the aging process. Few footballers look as different from their playing days as the former United player.After a 22-year career that included failures at Old Trafford, Massimo Taibbi looks very different.
The former striker’s brown locks are now cut short and grey, and the 53-year-old’s 6ft stature has expanded significantly. Taibi joined United from Venice in August 1999, but what should have been a dream turned into an all-too-brief nightmare due to one crucial flaw.
With Peter Schmeichel gone and Mark Bosnig injured, the club needed a new goalkeeper and Sir Alex Ferguson’s brother Martin Tiv was offered.The then 29-year-old signed for just £4.5m and broke into the first team immediately.
On his debut, he made an impressive save in United’s 3–2 win over Liverpool at Anfield on 11 September 1999, and made his second consecutive man of the match appearance in a 1–1 draw with Wimbledon.But in the 3-3 draw with Southampton, Matt Le Tissier’s weak shot from 25 yards somehow found its way through Taibe’s legs and over the line. One newspaper called it the “Blind Venetian” and it was the beginning of the end for Tybee.
The goalkeeper played one more game for United, a 5–0 win over Chelsea on 3 October. After just 33 days at United, their Premier League run came to a shocking end as the club suffered their first league defeat in 10 months.
