Arsenal nearly signed Cristiano Ronaldo when he was just 17 years old.

Arsene Wenger previously stated that his failure to sign Ronaldo is "the biggest regret" of his coaching career and the opportunity slipped away.

The expense of Arsenal's move to Emirates Stadium was the apparent reason the deal for Ronaldo fell through.

"There was a moment in which I really thought he was going to Arsenal," agent Jorge Mendes is quoted as saying as he reflected on Ronaldo's first major transfer.

"David Dein is a spectacular person but, with the construction of their stadium, they were left with very little money and it wasn't possible."

Ronaldo is also quoted in the book as he looks back on his flirtations with Arsenal and said: "We were travelling by car and Jorge was calling us constantly telling me to hide so no one would see me. We went to a service station and I had to hide my face. I remember back then that Jorge was going crazy, those were Jorge's craziest days."

Manchester United ultimately signed Ronaldo for £12 million in 2003.

"The only person key to everything was Alex Ferguson," added the agent, who also represents Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho. "He told me that Cristiano was going to play at least 50 percent of the games for Manchester United and that's what I wanted to hear. That's why Cristiano went to Manchester United."