🤦🏻‍♂️ One that got away: Angel di María to Arsenal | OneFootball

Arsenal have a long history of nearly signings under Arsène Wenger.

Zlatan Ibrahimović turned down a trial, they wanted Lionel Messi to join with Cesc Fábregas and Cristiano Ronaldo was swept away at the last minute by Manchester United.

Another name on that list was Angel di María, who was only legal documents away from joining the North London club as a teenager.

Wenger had been aware of Di María as a 16-year-old, tracking his progress at Rosario Central before scouting him at the 2007 Under-20 World Cup where he impressed for eventual winners Argentina.

Following the tournament, Both Boca Juniors and Arsenal had €5m bids accepted but the midfielder later signed for Benfica after they offered to purchase his sporting rights simultaneously.

He quickly developed into Europe’s hottest talent and guided Benfica to their first title in five years in 2009/10, before joining Real Madrid that summer for €25m plus €11m in further bonuses.

“We had identified Di María when he was 17,” Wenger told reporters in 2018. “We wanted him to come here.

“But he eventually goes to Portugal [with Benfica], from Portugal he goes to Spain. Why? Because he could not get a work permit.

“That means you can only get him to England once he is worth a huge amount of money. By then it was too late.”

Wenger even tried to sign Di María again in 2013, but pulled the trigger on Mesut Özil after Real Madrid ensured he was available.

Football is full of sliding doors moments like this.

There’s no guarantee that Di María would have developed into the player we remember at Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain, as different environments and coaches impact careers.

But having just left Highbury, imagine building your new Emirates Stadium era with Fàbregas, Tomas Rosicky, Theo Walcott and Robin van Persie.

The Argentine has since gone onto win one Primeira Liga, one LaLiga and four Ligue 1 titles, all while playing a starring role in Real Madrid’s 2013/14 Champions League success.

How things could have been different.