Cristiano Ronaldo revealed he was on the brink of signing for Arsenal before joining Manchester United.
CR7 even met with former boss Arsene Wenger and was closing in on a move to London until their Premier League rivals scuppered a deal.
Only a pre-season friendly between Sporting Lisbon and United determined Ronaldo's future.
The Red Devils were so impressed with his performance for the Portuguese side that they immediately did everything in their power to sign him.
The Portuguese superstar also revealed how other clubs across Europe such as Barcelona and Inter Milan were pursuing his signature.
In an interview with Portuguese TV station TVI, he said: “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 too but after the friendly against Man United, who were already interested, they became even more interested and they sped up negotiations and signed me.”
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Ronaldo moved to Old Trafford in 2003 where he would later announce himself as one of the best players in the world.
This article was most recently revised and updated 5 years ago
