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#3 Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is another world-class player Arsenal came really close to signing. The Swede looked destined to join the Gunners during the summer of 2000, shortly after making a name for himself at Malmo.
According to the story, Ibrahimovic even visited Arsenal's training ground, where he was presented with a customised shirt bearing his name at the back. The turning point came when former Gunners manager Arsene Wenger asked the striker to participate in a training match.
That didn't sit well with the Sweden international, who gave a defiant response saying:
''Zlatan doesn't do auditions''.
He ended up joining Ajax a year later, spending three years there before switching to Juventus in the summer of 2004.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo
Arsenal were one of the first clubs to attempt to sign a young Cristiano Ronaldo from Sporting CP. The Portuguese even had a tour of the Gunners training ground in 2003, and looked destined to make the switch to the Emirates Stadium.
However, Manchester United joined the fray, and submitted a tempting bid to secure the services of the winger. Unable to counter the Red Devils' offer, Arsenal pulled out of the deal, allowing their local rivals to snap up the Portuguese.
Missing out on Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the few things former Gunners manager Arsene Wenger still regrets. The Frenchman opened up during an interview with Arsenal's website in May 2018 in this regard:
"The obvious player (that we missed out on) that comes to mind is Ronaldo. He was here with his mother, and we were very close. Then Man United came in, and they had Carlos Queiroz at the time, who was their coach. United played against Sporting Lisbon, and Ronaldo was outstanding, and they signed him."
#1 Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi was one of three Barcelona players Arsene Wenger tried to sign for Arsenal in 2003. However, the Frenchman could only snap up Cesc Fabregas, with Messi deciding to stay at Camp Nou and continue his progress.
Wenger gave an explanation of what transpired then while speaking in an interview in 2014. He said:
"In the end I think he was not so keen to move. It was not completely down to a flat; in the end, it was down to the fact that Messi was comfortable at Barcelona."
The Argentine's decision to stay put at Camp Nou eventually proved to be a spectacular one. He developed at Camp Nou to become arguably the greatest footballer in history, winning six Ballon d'Or awards, four European Golden Shoes, four Champions League titles and many more accolades.
