Cristiano Ronaldo had the number nine shirt reserved for him at Arsenal – he was that close to becoming an Arsenal player, it has been revealed.
Arsene Wenger has openly admitted in the past to almost signing the Portuguese, but according to a book recently published by Guillem Balague, the player himself was sold on a move to the Gunners and fell in love with the club before Manchester United swooped to steal him from under their noses.
Super agent, Jorge Mendes, wasn’t short of offers for his player.
Liverpool offered €8 million to Sporting Lisbon for Ronaldo, Juventus reached an agreement only for the deal to break down when Chilean striker Marcelo Salas rejected a move the other way and Barcelona went for Ricardo Quaresma instead.
Arsenal then became the front-runners. Chief scout Steve Rowley met Mendes, Ronaldo travelled to London in January 2003 and things were looking positive, according to the agent.
There was a time when I really thought he was going to Arsenal.
On the visit, Cristiano spoke with Wenger and one of his idols; Thierry Henry.
The 30-year-old recalls having to hide to prevent being spotted.
We were in a car and Jorge kept calling me to reiterate I had to make sure nobody saw me. We stopped at a service station and I had to have my face covered. Jorge was calling me every five minutes: ‘Be careful, be careful around people!
It was then that he “fell in love with the club, what it offered, the philosophy and the care for which young players are treated”.
Arsenal had doubts which needed reassuring about whether he would suit the lifestyle, the country and the language and if he had the personality to cope with the change. Soon after meeting him they too were sold.
The player wanted to sign for the club. Mendes, too. As did Wenger, who kept the number nine shirt for him.
The problems came when trying to agree a fee. With the stadium move on-going and funds limited because of it, Arsenal’s offer came up short of Sporting’s valuation.
Arsenal, with the construction of the new stadium, were short on funds and it wasn’t possible to make the move happen.
Despite the very advanced negotiations, United agreed to play Sporting Lisbon in a friendly which is where they spotted the man who would go on to become Real Madrid’s all-time top goalscorer.
