Former Argentina goalkeeper Carlos Roa has revealed he rejected a transfer to Manchester United back in 1999 as he thought the world was going to end.
According to the Daily Mirror, the 50-year-old, who played for the likes of Mallorca and Albacete in his career, is a devout Seventh-day Adventist, and this means he believed a prediction that the world would be coming to an end around that time.
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Roa was seemingly being lined up by former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson as the ideal replacement for legendary shot-stopper Peter Schmeichel, and this must be one of the most bizarre reasons ever that a club has ended up missing out on a signing!
Speaking to the Mirror, Roa said: “At that time I was very attached to religion and bible study. It was a difficult decision to make but at the same time thoughtful – and my family agreed with me.
“Certain things happened that will never be known because they are personal and I could only speak to the most intimate people.
“Many things were said back then out of ignorance and I was branded a thousand bad things.
“The people of the club thought that I was going to go back and that they would recover a lot of money with that transfer that was about to happen.
“Today, I still think that on a spiritual level it was a very good decision. But in sporting terms it wasn’t – because I left football at the best moment of my career.
“I could have progressed a lot, with great contracts and the possibility of playing in England.
“People will never understand it. Back then they drove me crazy, they called me from all sides, and as much as I tried to explain my decision it was very difficult for them to understand.”
The former shot-stopper will no doubt regret now that he possibly missed out on a truly great footballing career, though he can still look back with pride at his strong displays for Argentina in the 1998 World Cup.