Middlesbrough almost completed £7m deal for Ajax, Barcelona icon - Boro got cult hero consolation prize | OneFootball

Boro narrowly missed out on the signing of Patrick Kluivert back in 1996, however the man they brought in instead went on to become a cult hero.

When Middlesbrough narrowly missed out on the signing of future Ajax and Barcelona icon, Patrick Kluivert, in 1996, few would have expected their consolation prize to have been quite such a memorable figure.

Boro missed out on signing the then-20-year-old Dutchman, despite the fact that terms between themselves and Ajax had been agreed over a potential £7m deal.

Instead, Bobby Robson’s side splashed their cash on Juventus striker Fabrizio Ravanelli, in what was the third-highest transfer fee in British history at the time.

While that may have initially looked steep at the time, Ravanelli became a cult hero thanks to his performances over the course of his solitary season in the North East. It’s fair to say that his signing would have softened the blow of missing out on Kluivert somewhat.

Boro will have been disappointed to miss out on Kluivert

Part of Ajax’s famous ‘golden generation’ which also included the likes of Edgar Davids, Clarence Seedorf and Edwin Van Der Sar, Kluivert was arguably one of the best young forwards in Europe when Middlesbrough were chasing his signature in the summer of 1996.

Just a year earlier, he had scored the winner in the Champions League final as the Amsterdam outfit stunned the much-fancied giants AC Milan to claim Europe’s biggest club prize.

Just 18 years and 10 months old at the time, he became the youngest ever goalscorer in a Champions League final.

Ajax’s all-conquering young side also reached the showpiece final in 1996, but they fell to defeat against Juventus with Kluivert out injured.

Fast-forward to that summer and Boro were close to bringing the young star to Teesside. According to the Evening Gazette, terms had been agreed between the two clubs and negotiations with the player himself were said to be “very hopeful.”

However, the deal never materialised and Kluivert went on to join AC Milan the following year, before continuing on to Barcelona in 1998.

The Dutchman hit 122 goals from 257 appearances for the Blaugrana. He remains their eighth all-time leading goalscorer.

Now retired, Kluivert remains one of the finest frontmen his country has ever produced, having found the net 40 times from just 79 caps for his national side.

Ravanelli turned out to be the perfect consolation for Boro

While missing out on Kluivert would have been disappointing, Boro made up for that let down with the signing of Ravanelli.

The day after those reports concerning Boro and Kluivert surfaced, the North East outfit instead opted to spend their £7m on Ravanelli instead.

Despite notching 12 league goals the season before, and netting the winner in the Champions League final, the 27-year-old had fallen out of favour with the Turin giants.

It didn’t take long for him to make himself known in England. The Italian struck a hat-trick on his debut against Liverpool on the opening day of the 1996/97 season, a performance which served as a sign of what was to come.

Although Boro were ultimately relegated from the Premier League at the end of the campaign, Ravanelli was a shining light in their season.

By the end of the season, he had 31 goals to his name in all competitions, with 16 of them coming in the Premier League.

Known as 'The White Feather' for his trademark silver hair, Ravanelli also helped fire Boro to both domestic cup finals, in what was a chaotic season at the Riverside Stadium.

Although their campaign ended with disappointment on all three fronts, following relegation and defeats in both cup finals, Ravanelli became a cult hero at the club and is still adored by the fans to this day.

Unfortunately, with Boro condemned to second-tier football, Ravanelli moved on to Marseille at the end of the season, despite having previously signed a four-year deal with the club.

He may not have been Middlesbrough’s number one target at the time in 1996, but with the way things played out, you’d be hard-pressed to find a Boro fan with a bad word to say about Ravanelli.