When Barry Ferguson left Rangers for Blackburn in 2003, the club turned to a future Barcelona superstar to fill the void.
They were on the hunt for a player who could control the game from the middle of the pitch and dictate the tempo.
According to former Rangers boss Alex McLeish, the club came desperately close to signing one of the best players of modern times as Ferguson’s successor: Andres Iniesta.
McLeish was quote in the Daily Record as saying that they were close to bringing the future World Cup winner to Ibrox.
“He was only 18 at the time,” said McLeish. “We asked if we could bring him to Scotland and were told that they would try and make some hay at Barcelona and get him over to us.
“They said Iniesta needed to get some action.”
But the prodigious Iniesta was promoted to Barcelona’s first team that season, slotting in beautifully with the likes of long-term midfield partner Xavi and marquee summer signing Ronaldinho.
The rest, as they say, is history. But just imagine what could have been if Iniesta rocked up in Glasgow that season.
