The amazing Arsenal XI that COULD have been, starring Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Didier Drogba and Roberto Carlos

Arsenal fans must have gotten tired of hearing how their beloved club has missed out on signing some of the world's best footballers due to one thing or the other, and with Arsene Wenger recently admitting that he watched West Ham star Dimitri Payet "many times"… but turned down the chance to sign him.

"He was a top talent, always," Wenger said "But [he] had periods of being up and down.

"I've looked at him many times. I've known him for a long time. He played at Saint-Etienne and we watched him many times.
"I think he has all the attributes to be a top player, which he is, but he's 29 years old already. He's matured a lot and come back into the national team, which shows he was more consistent."

Having said that, here is a compilation of some stars the Gunners missed out on. And it was really a miss!

Gianluigi Buffon
The Italian legend was linked with a move to the Gunners after he declared his desire to join them if Juventus were to release him. A deal never materialised and the Gooners were stuck with Manuel Almunia.

Gerard Pique
Reports have suggested the Barcelona defender was a failed work-permit away from joining the north London club with fellow Spaniard Cesc Fabregas. Arsenal signed young defender Philippe Senderos instead.

Vincent Kompany
The Belgian almost signed for Arsenal as a youngster from boyhood club Anderlecht. Wenger was keen to find a long-term replacement for Sol Campbell but wasn't keen on the £5million transfer fee. Johan Djourou was recruited and he made 30 appearances that season. He left Arsenal in 2014 for Hamburg.

Roberto Carlos
The Brazilian legend revealed that joining the Gooners would be a 'dream', claiming that he wanted a move to the Emirates once his contract at Real Madrid had expired - he signed for Turkish side Fenerbahçe instead. The Arsenal faithful were later treated to the man dubbed the 'new Roberto Carlos'. in the person of Andre Santos. Remember him? Yeah, me too.

Cristiano Ronaldo
The story says a certain young Ronaldo was invited and shown around London Colney, given an Arsenal jersey with his name on the back. A £4million deal with Sporting Lisbon was agreed, only for Sporting to host Manchester United in a friendly. Ronaldo tore the United defence apart, Sir Alex Ferguson was impressed… the rest till tomorrow is history.

Yaya Toure
He was on the club's radar from a early age only to be declined a work-permit in 2003. Despite featuring in a friendly against Barnet, securing a permit proved tricky work for Arsenal and Wenger's patience eventually ran out. A Toure later turned up but his first name was Kolo, elder brother to the lost one.

Xabi Alonso
When then Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez was hoping to lure Gareth Barry to Merseyside, Alonso feared his Liverpool career was over, he then headed to London hoping to secure a £15million transfer. The Barry move eventually fell through. Mikel Arteta now plays for Arsenal.

Angel Di Maria
Arsenal fans knew their manager was never going to meet Real Madrid's £59.7m asking price on the Argentinian midfielder. Still, the Gunners had previously missed out on him when he was 17, no thanks to work permits.

Lionel Messi
According to Spanish football expert Guillem Balague, Gunners scouts not only identified a certain youn Lionel Messi, then 15, alongside Barca rising stars Fabregas and Pique - they even offered him a contract. Needless to say, it didn't pan out. Stop laughing now, Chelsea fans.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic
At 19-years-old, Zlatan was on the verge of a £3million move from Malmo,and all was going to plan until Wenger dared him. The Frenchman asked him to play in a trial match. The Swede replied: "Zlatan doesn't do auditions.'' Arsenal signed current West Ham full-back Guy Demel instead - back in the days when he thought he was a striker.

Didier Drogba
Wenger claims that he could have signed the Ivorian for as little as £100,000 way back when he was in Le Mans. After watching the Ivorian on numerous occasions, the Arsenal manager felt Drogba was  not ready for a club of Arsenal's stature. Since then, he has watched the Chelsea hero roll him over on numerous occasions during his two stints at the club.