Breaking News: My son rejected Manchester United for Arsenal but I wanted him to join Real Madrid…see more

Ultimately however, the then 18-year-old settled on a move to north London from Swiss outfit Servette, much to the disappointment of his father and agent, Julian. Julian, who is Spanish, said at the time: “Of course I would have preferred him to join Real.

“It is not easy to say: ‘no’ to Real. I strove to do it with tact.” the former Swiss international explained: “I’d been in Germany to visit Bayern Munich’s training ground with my family on a couple of occasions, but really I was just waiting for the English clubs to call, because I really wanted to play in the Premier League.

“But when the opportunity to go to Arsenal came along, and I visited the training ground, experienced the atmosphere around the place and heard from Arsene Wenger, there was no looking back for me.

“Everything about Arsenal just felt right for me, so it was an easy decision, despite all the noise and rumours.”