Cristiano Ronaldo reveals how close he came to completing Arsenal transfer

Cristiano Ronaldo has admitted that he was just “one step away” from joining Arsenal before his move to Manchester United in 2003. Ronaldo joined United from Sporting for ₤12.24m, however, United were mot the first team to show an interest in the forward, with Arsenal already having made an approach for his services. The Portuguese forward confirmed in an ITV interview with Piers Morgan that he was on the verge of joining Arsenal. When asked if he almost signed for Arsenal, Ronaldo admitted: "It's true. Very close. One-stop, incredible. Seriously. It didn’t happen, but Arsenal, I appreciate what they did for me, especially Arsene Wenger, but football you never know where you are going to play, life is like that. But I appreciate Arsenal because it is a fantastic club.” Morgan, who is a huge fan of Arsenal, pressed the 34-year-old for an apology and he went one step further with an Arsenal shirt for Ronaldo to keep. Click here to watch the full interview.

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