5 superstars Arsene Wenger regrets passing on

Arsene Wenger's failure or unwillingness to sign many of the current generation's superstars is a knife that just never seems to stop twisting in the backs of Arsenal supporters.

The argument can be made that there wouldn't be a Premier League title drought had the longtime manager pulled the trigger on a number of marquee transfers.

Wenger admitted Tuesday that West Ham star Dimitri Payet is the latest on a long list of elite talents who could have suited up for the Gunners, but went on to find success elsewhere instead.

Here are five of the biggest superstars that could have plied their trade on the north side of London:

Cristiano Ronaldo

Before Manchester United pounced, Cristiano Ronaldo was apparently close to calling north London home.

The Real Madrid superstar fell in love with Arsenal, according to "Cristiano Ronaldo: The Biography," while the team courted him in an effort to lure him away from Sporting CP in 2002. Ronaldo even had a face-to-face meeting with Wenger, but it wasn't meant to be.

Partially on the orders of his players, who were impressed after playing against Ronaldo during a match, Sir Alex Ferguson swooped in and locked up the Portuguese international. Ronaldo went on to score 118 goals at United before he was sold to Real in 2009.

Lionel Messi

It's often been said that Wenger's failure to secure a flat for Lionel Messi and his family near Colney marked the end of negotiations between the Premier League side and the then-16-year-old's representatives.

But Wenger said it "was not completely down to a flat." Rather, Messi wasn't interested in a move to the Emirates Stadium thanks to the arrival of another Barcelona youth product, Cesc Fabregas, who just so happened to occupy the same midfield position.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

The lesson here is pretty straightforward: Be careful who you offer trials to.

That's apparently what made Zlatan Ibrahimovic reject a move to Arsenal after Wenger insisted the young Swede go on trial before potentially offering him a contract.

"I couldn't believe it," Ibrahimovic told The Sun in 2012. "I was like, 'No way. Zlatan doesn't do auditions.'"

It was the end of talks, leaving the image of Ibra in a Gunners strip to haunt supporters thinking about what could have been with the star striker.

(Courtesy: Leland Lawas)

Gareth Bale

Arsenal's history of poaching players from Southampton's youth academy is well-documented. With the likes of Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey moving to north London, how did the club fail to land Gareth Bale, the biggest star of them all?

The answer made sense at the time: Bale was then a defender, and Wenger didn't think he needed another left-back.

Instead, Bale went on to star with Arsenal rival Tottenham and bloomed into a an elite midfield talent before he was sold to Real Madrid.

"I must confess it was a huge mistake as he can play in midfield," Wenger conceded. "He struggled at the start at Tottenham, then they moved him to midfield and he has done exceptionally well."

Didier Drogba

Of all the superstars Wenger missed out on, Didier Drogba is perhaps the most costly in terms of damage the Ivorian forward inflicted on Arsenal during his illustrious career with London rivals Chelsea.

Yet it only would have cost Wenger £100,000 to sign him from Le Mans back when Arsenal scouts were regular visitors.

"It was not only us who watched him. But we felt he might not be completely ready," Wenger said. "It was a mistake but, when you are in football, everyone can understand."

Drogba's incredible scoring record against Arsenal gave the impression he took it personally when Wenger decided against bringing him to England. The Montreal Impact forward went on to torment Wenger's men by scoring 15 goals in 15 games and winning multiple pieces of silverware with Chelsea after the Blues signed him from Marseille for £24 million.