Manchester United ace Cristiano Ronaldo admits he came 'within an inch' of joining Arsenal before moving to Old Trafford.
Ronaldo, who signed for United from Sporting Lisbon in August 2003, confessed in an interview with France Football magazine that he was approached by Arsène Wenger in 2003.
The Gunners boss met Ronaldo on three occasions in a bid to bring the player to north London.
But United gazumped the deal by entering negotiations and offering him £12 million, three times what Arsenal had bid.
"I came within a whisker of doing it," he said.
"Wenger is someone I respect a lot. He is very intelligent."
Jorge Mendes, Ronaldo's agent, added: "That is what happened. Everyone wanted Cristiano - Real Madrid, Juventus, Barcelona.
"But only Arsenal and Manchester United attempted to take him from there (Sporting Lisbon) that season. The others wanted to leave him at Sporting at least a year."
It is believed Ronaldo's sensational performance in Sporting's 3-1 win over United in a friendly on August 2003, convinced the English club to sign him.
But Mendes revealed a deal had been agreed before that friendly, adding: "Everything was in place before, since an agreement had been reached the day before the match."
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Ronaldo, who signed for United from Sporting Lisbon in August 2003, confessed in an interview with France Football magazine that he was approached by Arsène Wenger in 2003.
The Gunners boss met Ronaldo on three occasions in a bid to bring the player to north London.
But United gazumped the deal by entering negotiations and offering him £12 million, three times what Arsenal had bid.
"I came within a whisker of doing it," he said.
"Wenger is someone I respect a lot. He is very intelligent."
Jorge Mendes, Ronaldo's agent, added: "That is what happened. Everyone wanted Cristiano - Real Madrid, Juventus, Barcelona.
"But only Arsenal and Manchester United attempted to take him from there (Sporting Lisbon) that season. The others wanted to leave him at Sporting at least a year."
It is believed Ronaldo's sensational performance in Sporting's 3-1 win over United in a friendly on August 2003, convinced the English club to sign him.
But Mendes revealed a deal had been agreed before that friendly, adding: "Everything was in place before, since an agreement had been reached the day before the match."
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