Man City failed with biggest transfer attempt in history as Kaka dangled AC Milan shirt from window
Manchester City can never be criticised for their lofty ambitions since Sheikh Mansour purchased the club in 2008.
In the first window under his ownership, the Citizens broke the British transfer record after luring Robinho to the Etihad in a £32.5million transfer.
And in the following winter window, City came close to breaking the world record after launching a stunning £100m move for AC Milan legend Kaka.
Incredibly, that was more than double the previous world record, which Real Madrid set in 2001 when they forked out £46m on Zinedine Zidane.
It was reported at the time that the Premier League side were willing to offer the 2002 World Cup winner a £500,000-a-week contract.
City’s chief executive Garry Cook and other club officials flew over to Italy in the hope of thrashing out a historic transfer.
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The Milan faithful were desperate for the Brazilian to remain at the San Siro, with the midfielder guiding them to Champions League glory only 18 months prior.
They had protested outside of the Rossoneri's headquarters to plea for them not to cash in on their prized asset.
And over 2,000 fans gathered outside of his flat, where the 2007 Ballon d'Or winner announced he was staying in what has become an iconic moment.
Appearing outside of his window, he proudly held up a Milan shirt as he insisted he was not motivated by the riches on offer at City.
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It left City with no choice but to pull out of negotiations, as they stated that they had 'terminated discussions' with Milan.
Writing about the proposed move in a column for FourFourTwo in 2017, Kaka announced that the ordeal left him 'messed up' and 'emotionally shaken'.
He said: "It looked like a new, exciting challenge and a new chapter for me, but it had all come out of nowhere, and very quickly.
"Soon I started to feel confused and anxious. The situation messed me up. I was quite agitated and emotionally shaken."
Kaka's father, who also acted as his agent, had even travelled over to Manchester to speak with City's then-manager Mark Hughes.
It was only Milan's willingness to sell Kaka that planted seeds of doubt into his mind, but in the end, his love for the club proved crucial in his decision.
He continued: "The negotiations between City and I went very far indeed. It came to the point where all of the numbers and the finer details had been discussed.
"The offer was on the table. The only thing separating City and I was my final word.
"In the final stages of the negotiations, my phone rang. Once again I was at home in Milan and, again, it was my father on the other end of the line. He was in yet another meeting with City’s representatives.
"At the same time, just outside of my window, there were hundreds of Milan supporters gathered in the street near my building."
Kaka added: "The fans were everywhere in the street, singing. I was on the phone with my dad. He explained to me the final breakdown of the contract that City were offering me.
"That was it. ‘There’s nowhere to run any more,’ he said. ‘It’s up to you now.’ 'Dad,’ I said firmly. ‘You can tell them that I'm not going for now. Tell them we’ll see what happens in the future. My decision is to stay with Milan. That’s my final call.’
"I'd finally come to the conclusion that it wasn't quite the right time for me to go to City, and the main reason was the uncertainty over the squad-building process that they were about to undertake.
"It wasn’t clear to me how the squad would be reshaped and I wasn’t too convinced it would work.
"People always ask me about that famous scene where I leant out of the window of my home, happily waving my Milan shirt for all of the supporters down below to see.
"This was something I decided to do instinctively. It was a reaction to everything that had happened – to the confusion and pressure which I had suffered.
"I could hear the fans celebrating, screaming and singing. I took my Milan shirt and joined the supporters in celebrating. They sang and danced for ages – there were even flares and smoke bombs.
"It was a wild celebration and I’d never seen anything quite like it. I don’t regret my decision at all."
Kaka concluded by saying: "My decision to deny City’s offer is proof that the money was never a priority in my decisions."
Six months later, he did eventually leave Milan as he joined Real Madrid in a world record £56m transfer.
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Shortly after that, Los Blancos then broke the world record again - forking out £80m on Cristiano Ronaldo as part of their £233m summer haul.
After flattering to deceive at the Bernabeu, Kaka sealed an emotional return to Milan in 2013, before ending his career in America with Orlando City.