Goalkeeper rejected Manchester United transfer because he thought the world was going to end

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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.

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