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Juan Roman Riquelme: I rejected Manchester United move (before clash with Arsenal)
JUAN ROMAN RIQUELME admits the one regret of his career is snubbing Manchester United.
Juan Roman Riquelme was a mercurial talent
United tried to lure the Argentinian pass-master to Old Trafford nearly a decade ago.
The attacking midfielder was reportedly approached by the Red Devils while he was staying at a hotel in London ahead of Villareal's semi-final first-leg clash with Arsenal in April 2006.
But Riquelme turned down Sir Alex Ferguson and United to remain in Spain.
"The only thing I regret in my career was a decision that I took, when at the hotel in England before the semi-final with Arsenal, when Manchester United came to buy me and I said no," he told Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo.
"I stayed at Villarreal, because I was very comfortable with my team-mates."
Ferguson switched his attention to Michael Carrick instead, paying £18.6m to sign him from Tottenham.
Former Barcelona ace Riquelme returned home to Argentina with old club Boca Juniors on a permanent basis in 2008.
He then moved back to first club Argentinos Juniors before retiring in 2014, having earned 51 international caps.