Joan Gaspart has explained in ‘Onda Cero’ various anecdotes about his time as vice president of FC Barcelona. The businessman has surprised everyone with his stories about transfers, especially the one he starred in with the Brazilian Ronaldo Nazario.
Gaspart assumed the position of first vice president of FC Barcelona for 22 years until in 2000, once the president resigned Josep Lluís NúñeWith, he won the elections and became the new president.
He is remembered from Núñez’s stage for the well-known ‘Figo case’, although also for being the protagonist of great signings such as Maradona, Romario, Rivaldo and Ronaldo.
About the Brazilian, he has spoken in an interview in ‘Onda Cero’, recalling how he pulled mischievously for the Brazilian to dress as a Barça player in exchange for 2,500 million pesetas to PSV.
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“There was a clause that is very normal that says that a contract with a club is not valid if you do not sign the player, that is very clear. The player lived in Brazil, he was with the national team and we had to sign with the club but we could not sign with the player, with whom we already agreed. And the clause stated that if the player was not signed on a certain date, the contract was immediately void, “he started counting Gaspart.
He then recounted the measures that PSV implemented to prevent him from having access to Ronaldo’s room: “I believe that the club did the impossible so that I could not see myself with Ronaldo with the agreement of the delegate of the Brazilian team, and I could not Under no circumstances could I see Ronaldo or get close to his floor. The two gorillas that were in the elevator, the smallest one was 2.50. I didn’t even try, I went up a couple of times and didn’t even get out of the elevator. “
However, he had a great idea: “When a waiter arrived saying that they had asked for the room, the two gorillas thought that well, there was a player who had asked for a Coke and they let me in. I went straight to the room of Ronaldo with my coke and my tray. And from here Ronaldo signed with Barça on the bed in the room, “he explained to the perplexity of the listeners.
The fact is that, as Ronaldo did not know him personally, he called his representative to sign the agreement: “He did not know me. He called his manager and said: ‘there is a man here …’, ‘let him get on’ I got on, talked to his representative, and said ‘look, I’ve had to do it like this …’, ‘Joan, calm down, hand me over to Ronaldo and tell him it’s you.’ ‘He signed, I hid the contract in the jacket so that the gorillas would not see it, I saw the Brazilian delegate and said’ two solutions: one, tomorrow I call a press conference and present Ronaldo as a new player with the contract ; another: Ronaldo, you and I introduced Ronaldo as a new Barça player, and we all looked good. ‘In the end we chose the second, reluctantly from the Brazilian team. “