Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger says he was “so close” to signing Cristiano Ronaldo before his move to Manchester United in 2003.
The Frenchman has admitted that missing out on the current World Footballer of the Year is the biggest regret in the transfer market, closely followed by Didier Drogba, a player he knew from the French leagues before he moved to Chelsea from Marseille.
As a teenager Ronaldo signed for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side from Sporting Lisbon in 2003, but Wenger believes that he could have gotten him before United.
He said: “my biggest regret, I was close to signing Cristiano Ronaldo.
“And not only did I not get him, but he signed for Manchester United. That, of course, still hurts today.”
He also claimed that his best ever signing was Cameroon defender Lauren, rather than Gunners Legend Thierry Henry.
He said: ‘I’d never say which player was the best, but I think it’s the signings like Lauren who you spot when nobody else does.
‘He was a right midfielder who I played at right back and was one of the Invincibles’.
Wenger added: “I would have loved to have managed Didier Drogba, for two reasons.
“One, I missed him when he played at Le Mans in France, not even in the top league. I knew there was a good player there and I missed him.
“And secondly, because he hurt us so much in big games that all this pain would not have happened.”