Arsene Wenger Considered Leaving Arsenal for Real Madrid, Says Ramon Calderon

Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon has revealed that Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger previously considered leaving the Gunners to take over at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Calderon's tenure at Real Madrid lasted from July 2006 to January 2009, during which time Fabio Capello, Bernd Schuster and Juande Ramos managed Los Blancos.

According to the 64-year-old, Wenger could also have been in the dugout at the Bernabeu as the Frenchman took a great interest in the La Liga giants, per John Cross in the Mirror:

"

[Wenger] was talking to me about Real Madrid and, at that time, he was very interested in the club and what was happening. I remember he said: “Are you going to Hollywood again, or to make a football team?” He meant are you going for film star Galacticos or to make a proper football team. 

It’s something you have in England that is a very good thing. You have it at Arsenal, you had at Manchester United, that the manager could stay at the club for a very long time. It’s impossible here [in Spain].

"

The 65-year-old Wenger has been in charge at Arsenal for the last 19 years. While he has been sporadically linked with moves away from the north London club, his departure has never really looked a serious possibility.

Denis Doyle/Getty Images

Since his arrival at Highbury from Japanese club Nagoya Grampus in 1996—10 years before the move to the Emirates Stadium—Wenger has led the Gunners to three Premier League titles and six FA Cup wins.

It would undoubtedly have been fascinating to see Wenger work within the Real setup, particularly how he would use the lavish funds available to Los Blancos managers for transfers.

His reticence to spend big on players has, in recent years, led to calls from a small section of Arsenal fans for his resignation, as represented by celebrity Gunners fan Piers Morgan at the close of the most recent transfer window:

Dissatisfaction has also stemmed from Arsenal's failure to win the Premier League since 2004, although they have been crowned FA Cup champions in the last two seasons.

While it would still be intriguing to see Wenger take the reins at the Bernabeu, the most likely scenario is that he will retire from management when he finally calls it a day at Arsenal. 

However, it seems that a move to Madrid was a genuine possibility for Wenger during the last decade.