Thursday, 18th September, 2014
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed he came close to signing Cristiano Ronaldo, but ultimately missed out on the Portuguese to Manchester United.
Ronaldo pitched up at Old Trafford in 2003 after Sir Alex Ferguson did a deal with Sporting Lisbon and tempted the then-winger to link up with the Red Devils.
Wenger was also interested in signing the Portuguese and still looks back on his failure to do so with more than a tinge of regret; Ronaldo has since gone on to become one of the best players in world football and now struts his stuff at Real Madrid.
"My biggest regret is that I was so close to signing Cristiano Ronaldo", Wenger said in an interview with Arsenal's smartphone sponsor Huawei.
"And not only did I not get him, but he signed for Manchester United.
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"So that, of course, still hurts today", the Arsenal boss added.
Ronaldo made a total of 292 appearances for Manchester United between 2003 and 2009, scoring 118 goals, and attaining cult status with the club's fans.
His goalscoring game quickly moved onto another level with Real Madrid and the Portuguese has featured 252 times for Los Blancos, hitting the back of the net on 257 occasions.
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