Arsenal never managed to lure Clarence Seedorf to the Premier League with the Gunners, along with Manchester United and Chelsea, missing out.
Dutch legend Clarence Seedorf has admitted that he nearly joined Arsenal during a storied career which saw him represent some of the biggest clubs in world football, speaking to 90Min.
While The Gunners have never lifted Europe’s biggest prize, Seedorf is the only player in the history of the game to conquer the continent with three different clubs.
The 44-year-old tasted Champions League glory with Ajax, Real Madrid and AC Milan, five times in total, to scribe his name into the history books forever. One of the most gifted midfielders of his generation also earned 87 caps for the Holland national team, while triumphing in La Liga, Serie A and the Eredivisie.
But if there is one thing missing on his remarkable CV, it’s Premier League football. Not that the chance to strut his stuff on English shores never materialised.
“I was close to going to play in the Premier League. I almost signed three times – one time for Manchester United, one time for Arsenal, one time for Chelsea. They were all close, [but] I made different choices,” he says.
“I went to Real Madrid instead of England, I went to Inter Milan instead of England, and then I stayed at AC Milan instead of going to England. But you cannot have everything. [My career] was a wonderful experience, so I’m happy.”
Arsene Wenger has never shied away from naming the players Arsenal could and perhaps should have signed, with the Frenchman admitting in the past that Cristiano Ronaldo, Raphael Varane, Gerard Pique, Gareth Bale, Zlatan Ibrahimović and Paul Pogba slipped through the net (Sky).
Now, it seems that we can add Seedorf’s name to a star-studded selection.
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