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Feb 2026
12m 43s

SLIDING DOORS: How Ronaldo nearly ended ...

OTB Sports
About this episode

Welcome to a time-travel podcast diving into football’s greatest almost moments — the transfers that came within touching distance of reality, Richie McCormack's Sliding Doors.

Sliding Doors goes beyond rumours and gossip to uncover deals that were genuinely on the table

Each episode explores how one decision could have reshaped clubs, careers, and the entire football landscape

From whispered negotiations to official bids, this is the anatomy of football’s biggest “what ifs”

Think Michael Laudrup to Liverpool, Robert Lewandowski to Blackburn… and yes, Ronaldo to Rangers

This episode rewinds to the summer of 1997 — Britpop excess, post-Eurovision Ireland, and a transfer market on the brink of chaos

A 20-year-old Ronaldo Nazário is tearing La Liga apart and attracting every giant in European football

Barcelona, Inter, Lazio… and astonishingly, Glasgow Rangers enter the race

With Champions League ambition and serious financial muscle, Rangers launch a sensational bid

Inside the negotiations, the contracts, the Nike influence, and the offer that would’ve shocked world football

What would it have meant for Scottish football, European competition, and the 1998 World Cup?

One signature. One fax. One sliding door — and football history might have looked very different

Become a member and sign up at offtheball.com/join

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