Once upon-a-time Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo didn't own the Ballon d'Or between them and other players were allowed to win it. The last to do so was Kaka, who nearly joined Manchester City in 2009 and here's why he didn't.
It's easy to forget that Messi and Ronaldo haven't always been the best players in the world. When Ronaldo inevitably picks up the trophy later on this year it will be a full decade of their dominance and five titles each.
Such is their recent dominance that they stretched their reign from when the Ballon d'Or had nothing to do with FIFA, throughout the whole time it did and then after the two organisations split up again.
Kaka after winning the Champions League with Milan in 2007, two years after the infamous Istanbul final. Image: PA
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But back in 2007 the best player in the world was AC Milan's Kaka so it was no wonder that 18 months later when Manchester City were first making it in the footballing world as one of it's superpowers with money they went after the Brazilian.
In January of 2009 it was reported he was on the verge of a £100 million move to City but the deal fell through at the last minute and six months later he moved to Real Madrid for a then world record fee.
Speaking to Four Four Two he revealed just how close he was to a move to the Etihad and why he decided against it saying:
"Negotiations went very far indeed. The only thing separating City and I was my final word. The wages I had been offered were much, much higher than what I was earning with Milan.
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"I came to the conclusion that it was not quite the right time for me to go to City, and the main reason was the uncertainty over the squad-building process.
"I was being asked to swap one of the most historic and successful clubs in Europe for a team who were only at the beginning of a new project, where I was supposed to be the first big player.
"It was safer to stay at Milan."
Kaka joined Ronaldo at the Bernabeu. Image: PA
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Eventually Kaka would move to Spain and join up with Cristiano Ronaldo, who joined from Manchester United not long after to beat Kaka's world record fee.
Things didn't work out for the Brazilian in Spain and he headed back to Milan before going to the MLS with Orlando City where he is still playing, life could have been very different though.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Manchester City, Kaka, AC Milan, Real Madrid