Ghana legend Michael Essien's move to Indonesian top-flight side Persib Bandung wouldn't have materialised had the club secured the signing of Ronaldinho.
The Chelsea legend joined Persib on a one-year deal in 2017.
It has been revealed that the Brazilian was Persib's main target as they went in search of a world-class player in 2017 but failed to land him and instead signed Michael Essien.
Persib had spoken to Ronaldinho's agent and were close to sealing the deal when the 2005 world player of the year was appointed as ambassador by former club Barcelona.
"It was surprising, especially since he [Michael Essien] is a world player and the value of the contract is very large. In fact, before [President] Mr Glenn wanted to bring in Ronaldinhodan, he had already talked to his agent, but he was quickly pulled into the ambassador of Barcelona," Persib manager Umuh Muchtar revealed.
Essien was introduced to the Bandung public at Graha Persib, Jalan Sulanjana, Bandung to coincide with the 84th anniversary of Persib, which was March 14, 2017.
The purpose of signing Essien was to elevate the performance of Persib to the world level and be able to motivate local players in the team.
He spent one season at the club. He made 29 appearances and scored five goals.
Essien currently plays for Sabali in Azerbaijan.