Arsenal were incredibly close to signing Cristiano Ronaldo prior to his move to Manchester United, so much so that the youngster was invited to the clubs training ground and even given a shirt with his name on the back. However, the transfer fee for the winger proved to be the stumbling block. Arsenal and Wenger valued Ronaldo at around £4 million, whereas Sporting Lisbon believed he was worth nearer to £12 million. The deal fell through. United would of course eventually sign Ronaldo, for £12.25 million. A bargain when you consider that he eventually went to Real Madrid for £80 million. In the Spanish capital he has been a nothing sort of sensational, netting 251 goals in 245 games.
Simon is an NCTJ qualified sports journalist. He has conducted interviews with Tony Adams and Peter Shilton, while also having work published in The Daily Telegraph and The Sun. Follow him on Twitter via @sr_collings.
