Salvador Cabanas has claimed a deal had been agreed for him to join Manchester United before he was shot in the head
Cabanas, a former Paraguayan international, spent weeks in intensive care after the shooting, which took place in a Mexico City nightclub in January 2010.
The 38-year-old, a winner of the South American footballer of the year in 2007, has now revealed that he had signed a pre-contract agreement prior to the the incident. This, he claims, would have seen him leave Mexico’s Club America for Old Trafford.
“I had signed a pre-contract agreement for £1.3m for a transfer to Europe,” he told Telefuturo (via The Mirror).
“They told me my destination would be Manchester United.
“Club America doubled my salary and gave me one apartment in Acapulco and another in Cancun to try and keep me at the club.”
Against the odds, Cabanas was able to return to football in 2012, making several appearances for Club 12 de Octubre – the club where he started his career. Understandably, he was unable to rediscover his old form and eventually announced his retirement in 2014.
Cabanas had scored ten goals for the Paraguayan national side in 44 appearances, representing them at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He had helped them seal qualification for the tournament in South Africa in 2010, though was unable to play as he recovered from the shooting.
