ARSENE WENGER HAS revealed his biggest regret as Arsenal manager was failing to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Sporting in 2003.
Ronaldo ultimately signed for Manchester United in a deal worth just over £12 million and has gone on to achieve global superstardom at Old Trafford and Real Madrid, as well as being voted the best player in the world in 2008 and 2013.
Advertisement
The Portuguese also won three consecutive Premier League titles and a Champions League crown with United between 2006 and 2009 while Arsenal were trophyless over the same period, and Wenger admits he wishes he had acted differently.
“My biggest regret, I was so close to signing Cristiano Ronaldo,” Wenger revealed in a Huawei question and answer session.
“And not only did I not get him, but he signed for Manchester United. That, of course, still hurts today.”
Wenger added that the other Premier League player he would have most liked to manage is Chelsea legend Didier Drogba, who often proved a scourge of Arsenal in his first spell at Stamford Bridge.
“I would have loved to have managed Didier Drogba, for two reasons,” the Frenchman added.
“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.”
Wenger: Ronaldo, not Drogba, was my biggest regret
ARSENE WENGER HAS revealed his biggest regret as Arsenal manager was failing to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Sporting in 2003.
Ronaldo ultimately signed for Manchester United in a deal worth just over £12 million and has gone on to achieve global superstardom at Old Trafford and Real Madrid, as well as being voted the best player in the world in 2008 and 2013.
The Portuguese also won three consecutive Premier League titles and a Champions League crown with United between 2006 and 2009 while Arsenal were trophyless over the same period, and Wenger admits he wishes he had acted differently.
“My biggest regret, I was so close to signing Cristiano Ronaldo,” Wenger revealed in a Huawei question and answer session.
“And not only did I not get him, but he signed for Manchester United. That, of course, still hurts today.”
Wenger added that the other Premier League player he would have most liked to manage is Chelsea legend Didier Drogba, who often proved a scourge of Arsenal in his first spell at Stamford Bridge.
“I would have loved to have managed Didier Drogba, for two reasons,” the Frenchman added.
“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.”
Do you agree with our Champions League team of the week?>
TheScore.ie’s Champions League power rankings after week 1>
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Arsene Wenger biggest regret Barclays Premier League Cristiano Ronaldo Didier Drogba revelation Arsenal