The Frenchman had Arsenal in the running to land the Portuguese star as he prepared to leave Sporting, but saw Manchester United beat him to a deal.
Arsene Wenger considers missing out on Cristiano Ronaldo to be his biggest transfer regret at Arsenal as the Portuguese could have changed history in north London.
Having spent 22 years at the Gunners helm, the Frenchman has suffered plenty of recruitment near misses in his time.
Some iconic figures have slipped through his grasp, with various factors conspiring against Arsenal as they endeavoured to land both promising and proven stars.
Source: Goal.com
Source: NAN