"If we had been a fraction quicker" - When Arsene Wenger explained how Manchester United hijacked Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Arsenal
Legendary manager Arsene Wenger once revealed he was close to signing Cristiano Ronaldo at Arsenal before he joined Manchester United. The former Gunners boss claimed that a deal was agreed but the Red Devils hijacked the move.
Speaking to Ian Wright on LABbibleTV, Wenger stated in 2022 that they were confident of getting the deal over the line. But they couldn't close it in time. He said (via Mirror):
"We thought it was possible. If we had been a fraction quicker, a few days because we had agreed and then Manchester United came in 5 or 6 days later."
The manager also spoke to FourFourTwo about the failed transfer and claimed that he wanted to sign Ronaldo as an understudy to Thierry Henry. He added that the deal was all but done before their arch-rivals made a late move to snap up the Portuguese star. He said (via Metro):
"When I had Thierry, I could have signed [Cristiano] Ronaldo – can you imagine what they could have done together? That makes you sweat a little bit, and I was very close to doing it. I thought it was all done. It was that close [holding his index finger and thumb within a millimetre of each other]. But I would say that every club could tell you stories like that."
Cristiano Ronaldo went on to become a legend at Manchester United but his two stints ended in contrasting fashions. He was sold to Real Madrid for a then-world-record fee in 2009 while his contract was terminated in 2022 following an explosive interview where he criticized the club and the manager.
Cristiano Ronaldo admitted he was in talks with Arsenal before Manchester United move
Cristiano Ronaldo spoke to TVI in 2019 and admitted that he was close to joining Arsenal. He added that there were talks with Arsene Wenger and a contract was set to be signed.
He claimed that Barcelona and Real Madrid had also tried to sign him. The Portuguese said:
"(At Sporting) there had been contacts with so many other teams, Valencia, for example, were one of them. I met with Arsene Wenger and was about to go to Arsenal. I talked to Barcelona, Real Madrid and Inter Milan too but after the friendly against Manchester United, who were already interested, they became even more interested, sped up negotiations and signed me."
Cristiano Ronaldo played 346 matches for Manchester United and scored 145 goals. He also registered 64 assists across his two stints at the club.