If things had panned out, Arsenal fans might have seen an attacking trio of Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the same team, playing at Highbury and eventually the Emirates.
While Henry went on to become one of the greatest ever players for the club, Ronaldo chose to sign for Manchester United and Ibrahimovic for Ajax.
The story about Ronaldo taking a trial at Arsenal and even being handed an Arsenal shirt is well known, with Arsene Wenger eventually deciding against shelling out a considerable amount for the Portuguese superstar, when he was a teenager.
Wenger revealed even Ibrahimovic, fresh from his spectacular goal against England, could have been an Arsenal player. "He came here to visit the training ground," Wenger told the club's official website. "He didn't want to make a trial because he was 16 years old at the time.
"He went home and we concluded to watch him again.
"I wanted to see him in training but it didn't stop him from making a great career. In the end, he chose to go to Ajax Amsterdam. That happens. He's not the only one in that case.
"The confidence he shows... if a performance isn't there you can say you don't agree with it, but when a performance is there, you think his confidence is justified. Through his career, he has justified why he believes in his own talent."
Wenger, clearly a big fan of the PSG striker, was impressed by Ibrahimovic's overhead goal from 25 yards out in Wednesday's friendly against England, when the Swede single-handedly tore apart the English team's defense.
"I believe we are all amazed because, 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.
"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.
"When (England goalkeeper Joe) Hart headed the ball, he took a distance to eventually get the ball. There's intelligence included as well. I'm an admirer of collective goals, but as an individual achievement, just you and the ball in the situation of the game, it is something exceptional."
