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Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson always wanted to recruit players early during their days managing Arsenal and Manchester United.
Ferguson signed Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo as raw teenagers and moulded them into superstars, while Wenger did the same with the likes of Thierry Henry and Cesc Fabregas. As managers known for their youth development abilities, they often found themselves competing against each other to sign the next teenage prodigy off the rank.
In 2008, Aaron Ramsey was the young, 17-year-old prospect the Frenchman and the Scot were wrestling over. So much so, the Cardiff prodigy received voicemail messages from both legendary managers.
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"I was always a Cardiff supporter, but my dad was a Manchester United fan and I watched them quite a lot with him,” Ramsey said in a previous interview with FourFourTwo. "It was a strange time in my life, to have two teams I’d watched so much as a child showing interest in me.
“I spoke to both managers on the phone a few times. I was 17 years old and I was getting voicemails from Fergie and Arsene Wenger! It was mad."
What other youngsters were endlessly pursued by both Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson? Let us know in the comments section below
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After weeks of mulling their persuasive words over, Ramsey eventually decided Arsenal was the place to be. However, things were rather overwhelming for the Welsh international, who was greeted by a dressing room overflowing with world class talent.
“I remember showing up to training on my first day and seeing Kolo Toure, Cesc Fabregas, Emmanuel Adebayor, William Gallas. I had to pinch myself,” he added. “I was like, ‘What on Earth am I doing here?’ It was an exciting time for me."
As one final passing shot of trying to persuade him to snub United, the Gunners had one final trick up their sleeves. "I went up there to see the facilities and I went to see Arsene Wenger,” he said to Sky Sports in 2018.
“He did a lot to try and get me to this club. As a 17-year-old, flying out on a private jet to his hotel [in Switzerland for Euro 2008] was surreal but I think I made the right decision. I just felt a bit more wanted by Arsenal and by the boss."
While Ramsey joined Arsenal after Wenger's most successful period at the club, he did lift the FA Cup three times while wearing red and white, before moving to Juventus. He won the Serie A title in the first of two full seasons in Italy, before short-lived spells at Glasgow Rangers and Nice, ahead of a return to Cardiff.
- Manchester United FC
- Arsenal FC
- Sir Alex Ferguson
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