Few players have turned around their reputations as dramatically as Manchester United defender Harry Maguire.
Rollercoaster at United
Maguire was signed from Leicester City in 2019 for a princely sum of £80 million.
Despite starting well, Maguire’s star began to fade, and he endured a torrid couple of years during which he made numerous mistakes and was ruthlessly mocked on the internet.
He was close to being sold in the summer of 2023 to West Ham United after barely featuring at Manchester United under Erik ten Hag.
A deal never happened, though, and Maguire forced his way back into the side under Ten Hag and then later Ruben Amorim.
He has also played a key role this season under Michael Carrick, with injuries to Lisandro Martinez and particularly Matthijs de Ligt.
Famous fan
Despite a successful season for Manchester United, Maguire was left out of England’s World Cup squad by Thomas Tuchel.
Maguire publicly expressed his unhappiness and shock at the decision.
The club’s official website has reported that the centre-back does have at least one famous fan, though.
The site reads, “football icon Ronaldinho posing with a Manchester United shirt that has ‘Maguire 5’ emblazoned on the back? It’s perhaps something you might not have had on your bingo card for 2026, but that’s just what happened when the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star was over in the United Kingdom recently.”
Just @10Ronaldinho holding a signed @HarryMaguire93 shirt. pic.twitter.com/0sJlSzxI1g
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) May 27, 2026
Ronaldinho and Friends’ team took on Jermain Defoe’s ‘UK icons’ in a charity legends match at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light.
Manchester United famously tried to sign Ronaldinho from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2003, but they were just pipped to the post by FC Barcelona.
Even though it is fun to imagine how the Brazilian would have lit up Old Trafford, United would go on to sign Cristiano Ronaldo that summer, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Harry Maguire Stats: 2025/26 Season
| Competition | Appearances | Starts | Goals | Assists | Yellow Cards | Second Yellow | Red Cards | Minutes Played |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premier League | 22 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 3 | - | 1 | 1,565' |
| Total | 22 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 3 | - | 1 | 1,565' |
Featured image by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
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