Zlatan turned down Arsenal because of Henry, Bergkamp
Zlatan Ibrahimovic turned down a trial with Arsenal as he expected to start for the club right away.
Ibrahimovic infamously rejected the opportunity of a trial with the Gunners in 2000.
The striker was coming towards the end of his time at Malmo at the turn of the millennium, and was courting more reputable clubs across Europe.
Ajax eventually won the race for his signature in 2001, but Arsenal were in the driving seat at one stage before Ibrahimovic’s rejection.
But Ibrahimovic’s belief that he would start ahead of either Thierry Henry or Dennis Bergkamp scuppered the move.
Ibrahimovic, reiterating the famous and oft-repeated line, told Sky Italia: “I don’t do trials.
“I went to London for an appointment with Wenger, who asked me to audition for the Gunners.
“I told him ‘I will not do a trial: either you take me or not, I’m not here to waste time’.
“I already had that kind of trust, because in my mind I was the strongest of all, even when I was young.
“I met Wenger because I expected him to tell me to start with them right away. But Ibra does not test.”
And thus the Arsene Wenger ‘almost signed’ XI inherited its star striker.
