Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed the biggest regret of his career was his failure to sign Cristiano Ronaldo, while admitting the player he would have relished the chance to manage is Chelsea striker Didier Drogba.
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Wenger told Arsenal sponsor Huawei he was close to bringing Ronaldo to north London before he signed for Manchester United in 2003.
The forward went on to star for the Red Devils, leading Sir Alex Ferguson's side to four Premier League titles and a Champions League triumph before departing in an 80 million-pound move to Real Madrid in 2009.
"My biggest regret? I was so close to signing Cristiano Ronaldo, and not only did I not get him, he signed for Manchester United. So that of course still hurts today," he stated.
#INSERT type:image caption:Cristiano Ronaldo has gone from strength to strength at Real Madrid, and was named the 2013 Ballon d'Or winner. END#
The Gunners boss admitted he has long-admired Drogba, who was so prolific against Arsenal during his first spell at Chelsea.
"I would have loved to have managed Didier Drogba for two reasons," he continued. "One, I missed him when he played in France at Le Mans, not even in the top league. I knew there was a good player there and I missed him.
"Secondly because he hurt us so much in the big games. All this pain would not have happened [if he had joined Arsenal]."
Wenger also says he spends his time away from the game "watching football matches and hoping his rivals lose their matches," and suggested football management is an occupation that requires complete dedication.
"My job is to win games and be consistent at the top level and when young managers ask for advice, I say: 'Look to sacrifice your life. There is no life out of this job.'
"We also have to recover from disappointments. Today with the social networks, we must have a huge resistance to stress and be very strong in your guidelines. You must have the guts to put your ideas into action."