Real Madrid starlet Vinicius Junior was reportedly noticed by a Manchester United scout at the age of 14 in 2015.
The Brazil international is starting to fulfil his potential at the Santiago Bernabeu and has amassed 18 goals and 18 assists from 46 appearances in all tournaments this season.
Real forked out £40.5m to sign Vinicius from Flamengo as an 18-year-old in the summer of 2018, but club chief Carlos Noval has claimed that Man United and Barcelona were the earliest admirers of the attacker.
"A foreign United scout said: 'Noval, look at the player you have, he's a gem! I've never seen a 14-year-old player do what he does!" Noval told ESPN Brasil. "That reinforced everything we already had in mind. A gem to be polished. Everyone wanted Vinicius.
"Corinthians didn't get to talk to us because they didn't have the slightest chance of him leaving... Barcelona, in particular, monitored this boy since he was 13 years old.
"Real Madrid and most of the big European clubs too, we had more contact, they came to talk to us, but Vini could only leave the country at the age of 18. European clubs are very keen to know what the athlete's family, representatives and off-field is like.
"We keep in touch to this day, I send a lot of messages after the games. Sometimes I give him a little ear tug (laughs). He's a very humble boy and he hasn't changed, he treats everyone well and he's very happy to play football.
"He evolved a lot at Real after Ancelotti put him on the left. No athlete will reach the professional stage, each one has a different maturity. I think he will still reach 24 at his peak. I have no doubt that he will be the best player in the world soon."
Vinicius scored his third Champions League goal of the season in Tuesday's 4-3 semi-final first-leg loss to Manchester City, but the 21-year-old only has one goal to boast from 12 appearances for Brazil.
Ben Knapton
