Cristiano Ronaldo was so close to joiningArsenal, he was given the no.9 shirt says Arsene Wenger

Gunners boss claims Ronaldo was given a
squad number at Arsenal.
Arsene Wenger has revealed Cristiano Ronaldo was
so close to joining Arsenal he was handed the no.9
shirt.
The Gunners boss has previously admitted the
Portuguese sensation spent a week on trial in North
London aged 18 but never revealed how close the
forward came to being an Arsenal player.
Ronaldo, now 28 and at Real Madrid, was given the
no.9 shirt at Arsenal before a change in Manchester
United's assistant manager led to the Portugal star
moving from Sporting Lisbon to Old Trafford.
"He was very close to coming here. He has a number
nine shirt with Ronaldo on the back from Arsenal
Football Club," Wenger said in an ITV4 documentary
about Ronaldo.
"What happened was that Carlos Queiroz went to
Manchester United and they snapped him away from
us because he knew him from Sporting.
"That's what life is about. You give your best but
sometimes you might find that people are stronger
than you. That can happen as well."
Wenger also says Ronaldo, who cost Real £80m in
2009, is the complete player ahead of Real Madrid's
new world record signing Gareth Bale and is different
to Barcelona's Lionel Messi.
"He (Ronaldo) is a complete athlete with total
efficiency and Messi is an artist who does things
nobody else can do," Wenger added.
"Bale still has a way to go if you compare what
Ronaldo has done and what Bale has done. Bale has
still a way to make it but the vision of having the two
together is very exciting."
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