Former Arsenal midfielder Robert Pires has revealed exactly why he joined the club despite being pictured with the Real Madrid kit, speaking to the Mirror.
Prior to him joining Arsenal in 2000, there were numerous links with the player and Spanish giants Real Madrid with there also being some pictures of Pires in a Madrid shirt.
The 44-year-old made well over 180 appearances for the Gunners while he also had a brief cameo in the Premier League with Aston Villa.
He also made a strong impact on the French national side earning a total of 79 caps scoring 14 goals in the process as he went down as a legend of the game.
His career came to an end in India when he joined FC Goa in 2014, in which he played one season
The Frenchman was attracted by the idea of Arsene Wenger being his manager when he elected to join the club as he revealed in a recent interview:
One day, I met the Spanish journalists and I was wearing the Madrid shirt. They took a picture of me because the people in Spain thought I was signing.
For me, the first destination was Madrid because Madrid is, even now, one of the best clubs in the world
The problem was that maybe two or three days after the picture, I called Arsène Wenger and he changed my mind
