Martin Odegaard rejected Arsenal as a 15-year-old despite dining with then manager Arsene Wenger and decided to join Real Madrid instead.
The Norwegian was a certified wonderkid at Stromsgodset six years ago and could easily have arrived in North London after being heavily scouted by the Gunners and a host of European giants.
Former Gunners academy chief Steve Morrow said: "I first scouted him when he was 14 and was just amazed by his talent, his technical level and his intelligence for such a young player.
"I put a lot of work in, scouted Martin for 18 months and got very close to him and his family.
"We had permission from Stromsgodset to invite the player over and it was down to us and Real Madrid.
"We rolled out the red carpet. He met with Arsene, we took him out for dinner and really showcased the club."
