Yet by the time United signed Falcao, he was a shadow of the player he used to be.
The forward, who is still going strong at Rayo Vallecano these days, would score just four times during a dismal loan spell.
In 2015, United then went down the A-list route once again.
Bastian Schweinsteiger, having won every major trophy for Bayern Munich as well as the World Cup with Germany, touched down.
But the midfielder was another player past his prime and, after just 18 months, he was ruthlessly cut loose by Jose Mourinho.
The best Mourinho teams of previous years have lacked a superstar presence. Porto and Inter Milan are proof of that.
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