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I cannot believe that Wegner rejected Ibrahimovic, Ronaldo, Yaya Toure, but also Dedier Drogba and Michael Essien.
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Wenger reveals how Ibrahimovic slipped through the net at Arsenal as cocky 16-year-old kid (and so did Ronaldo!)
By Matt Fortune
PUBLISHED: 05:09 EST, 16 November 2012 | UPDATED: 06:12 EST, 16 November 2012Arsene Wenger says he has no regrets about missing out on Zlatan Ibrahimovic when he came to Arsenal for a trial aged 16.
The Paris St German superstar made headlines this week when he scored four goals - one of which now sits among history's greatest - in Sweden's win over England.
Zlat trick: Arsenal missed on Ibrahimovic in 2000 when he refused to take a trial with the club
The subsequent clamour over Ibrahimovic bought back into focus one of his most famous quotes, in which he allegedly told Wenger that 'he doesn't do trials' after being invited to Highbury in 2000.
A young Cristiano Ronaldo is another to have been looked at by the club, while Yaya Toure enjoyed a lengthy trial while still plying his trade in Belgium.
Ibrahimovic eventually joined Ajax, and has gone on to win league titles with AC Milan, Barcelona and Inter, while commanding transfer fees in excess of £150million. He's also bagged three goals against the Gunners to knock them out of the Champions League.
Wenger, though, insists he doesn't look back ruefully on the day the Swede got away.
The Frenchman said: 'He was here at the training ground and went somewhere else. That has happened to many players - Ronaldo was here, Ibrahimovic was here. It does not mean they sign for you.
'The story is true I wanted to see him. I did not know him, you cannot sign players you have not seen at all because it is not serious.
'He was 16. I asked him to have a little training session with the first team and he didn't want to do it.
'Do I regret it? No. I will continue to do that unless our scouts have seen the player and says, "look he is absolutely 100 per cent". I trust them.
'But when somebody says he has some quality, you want at least to see, otherwise you would not be serious.'
Head over heels: Ibrahimovic scored one of history's greatest goals in Sweden's friendly win over England
Haunted: Ibrahimovic has since twice helped knock Arsenal out of the Champions League, with Barcelona and Milan
Reflecting on Ibrahimovic's stunning acrobatic strike in stoppage time at the end of Wednesday's international friendly, Wenger was stunned.
He added: 'I am more a fan of team goals than of individual goals, but I must say it was exceptional. It was a fantastic combination of flexibility, strength and skill.
Sometimes, when a guy has a shot from 30 yards and puts it in the top corner, you say "it's a fantastic goal" - but somehow you believe you can do that as well, even if you cannot do it on a consistent level.
'But when he scores a goal like that, you think it’s impossible for a normal athlete. You have to be an exceptional athlete to do that.
Wish you were here: Cristiano Ronaldo could have ended up at the Gunners
'They say he’s a master in kung fu. You could see that on Wednesday night. You need some special flexibility, subtleness and physical strength to do that, apart from the fact that you have to realise what you have to do.
'He was also in zone, where you have no confidence problem at all. He had scored three goals before, and was on a day where everything becomes easy. It happens in every sport.
'To get into that zone, you need to have success before that in the game. Was it at 1-0 down or 0-0, in the last minute of the game, would he have tried it? Would he have scored? I am not sure.
'It shows you how important it is to get that confidence in our sport, to just do things with a freedom of spirit without any handbrake.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...#ixzz2CRR2oHsg
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Wenger reveals how Ibrahimovic slipped through the net at Arsenal as cocky 16-year-old kid (and so did Ronaldo!)
By Matt Fortune
PUBLISHED: 05:09 EST, 16 November 2012 | UPDATED: 06:12 EST, 16 November 2012Arsene Wenger says he has no regrets about missing out on Zlatan Ibrahimovic when he came to Arsenal for a trial aged 16.
The Paris St German superstar made headlines this week when he scored four goals - one of which now sits among history's greatest - in Sweden's win over England.
Zlat trick: Arsenal missed on Ibrahimovic in 2000 when he refused to take a trial with the club
The subsequent clamour over Ibrahimovic bought back into focus one of his most famous quotes, in which he allegedly told Wenger that 'he doesn't do trials' after being invited to Highbury in 2000.
A young Cristiano Ronaldo is another to have been looked at by the club, while Yaya Toure enjoyed a lengthy trial while still plying his trade in Belgium.
Ibrahimovic eventually joined Ajax, and has gone on to win league titles with AC Milan, Barcelona and Inter, while commanding transfer fees in excess of £150million. He's also bagged three goals against the Gunners to knock them out of the Champions League.
Wenger, though, insists he doesn't look back ruefully on the day the Swede got away.
The Frenchman said: 'He was here at the training ground and went somewhere else. That has happened to many players - Ronaldo was here, Ibrahimovic was here. It does not mean they sign for you.
'The story is true I wanted to see him. I did not know him, you cannot sign players you have not seen at all because it is not serious.
'He was 16. I asked him to have a little training session with the first team and he didn't want to do it.
'Do I regret it? No. I will continue to do that unless our scouts have seen the player and says, "look he is absolutely 100 per cent". I trust them.
'But when somebody says he has some quality, you want at least to see, otherwise you would not be serious.'
Head over heels: Ibrahimovic scored one of history's greatest goals in Sweden's friendly win over England Haunted: Ibrahimovic has since twice helped knock Arsenal out of the Champions League, with Barcelona and Milan Reflecting on Ibrahimovic's stunning acrobatic strike in stoppage time at the end of Wednesday's international friendly, Wenger was stunned.
He added: 'I am more a fan of team goals than of individual goals, but I must say it was exceptional. It was a fantastic combination of flexibility, strength and skill.
Sometimes, when a guy has a shot from 30 yards and puts it in the top corner, you say "it's a fantastic goal" - but somehow you believe you can do that as well, even if you cannot do it on a consistent level.
'But when he scores a goal like that, you think it’s impossible for a normal athlete. You have to be an exceptional athlete to do that.
Wish you were here: Cristiano Ronaldo could have ended up at the Gunners'They say he’s a master in kung fu. You could see that on Wednesday night. You need some special flexibility, subtleness and physical strength to do that, apart from the fact that you have to realise what you have to do.
'He was also in zone, where you have no confidence problem at all. He had scored three goals before, and was on a day where everything becomes easy. It happens in every sport.
'To get into that zone, you need to have success before that in the game. Was it at 1-0 down or 0-0, in the last minute of the game, would he have tried it? Would he have scored? I am not sure.
'It shows you how important it is to get that confidence in our sport, to just do things with a freedom of spirit without any handbrake.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...#ixzz2CRR2oHsg
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
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