Arsene Wenger Talks Real Madrid Rejection, 'Winning Potential' Regret

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has said he turned down the chance to lead Real Madrid on a number of occasions.

Wenger has been out of work since the summer of 2018, having left the Gunners following a distinguished 22-year spell in charge.

Although he won the Premier League three times during his tenure at Arsenal—as well as seven FA Cups—Wenger's last top-flight title success came in 2004.

Speaking to beIN Sports (h/t Ben Nagle of the MailOnline) about interest from Madrid, Wenger said he put loyalty before winning at that point in his career:

"Regret is that maybe I sacrificed a little bit the winning potential against the loyalty potential. Or the desire to build up the club and the influence I had on the club. 

"To build up the club when we built the stadium, against the fact that I could have won more by going somewhere else and being less limited financially. At the end of the day, I'm happy to do what I did."

Wenger also wondered whether his management style would be the right type of fit for Real Madrid.

"I felt that I was in a club [Arsenal] where I met my needs the way I wanted to work," he said. "Why change that and maybe be in a bit more glorious situation but less happy situation, where I had less influence on the club [Real Madrid]? So I decided that I keep trying to experience my love story [at Arsenal]."

B/R Football looked at some of the iconic figures who played under Wenger during his time in charge of the north London club:

The Premier League Twitter account looked back on the Frenchman's first game in charge of Arsenal in 1996:

Considering the Gunners gave Wenger a chance in English football and showed faith in him during some tough times in the 22 years he was in charge, it's not a shock Wenger feels a major sense of affinity towards the club.

Earlier in October, the coach told Sky Sports News he'd actually turned down offers from other Premier League clubs due to the fact he is "too linked" to Arsenal. Real Madrid, it would seem, were snubbed by Wenger earlier in his career, too.

In the past, he's provided more details on why he didn't make the switch the Spanish capital:

It would have been fascinating to see Wenger at the helm of the Santiago Bernabeu outfit, especially given the club's reputation for spending huge money on the best players in the world.

However, they also have a propensity for chopping and changing managers, meaning Wenger may not have been given the patience he was often afforded at Arsenal.

After some time away from the game, it will be intriguing to see what role Wenger takes up next in football. Even at 69 years old, a man of his intelligence and experience will likely still have plenty to offer at the highest level.