Arsene Wenger showed me the Arsenal training ground and I was convinced. Then my team-mate said he was going to Liverpool so I decided on Anfield instead' Why Florent Sinama Pongolle turned down the Gunners

"We lost the final of the Under-16 Euros to Spain, who had Andres Iniesta and Fernando Torres, who I was tied with as the top scorer. As the runners-up, we went on to play at the U17 World Cup in Trinidad and Tobago three months later. We reached the final against Nigeria, who had beaten us in the group stage."

"Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool were all interested. I went to London to meet Arsene Wenger. He showed me the training ground, explained the project, and in my mind I was convinced. But then I spoke to my Le Havre team-mate Anthony Le Tallec, and he told me he was going to Liverpool. After hearing that, I felt the best thing was for us to keep playing together, so in the end I decided to move to Anfield instead."

Florent Sinama Pongolle achieved major success at youth level, finishing as top scorer and player of the tournament as France won the FIFA U17 World Championship. He had earlier been runner-up at the Under-16 Euros and shared top-scorer honours with Fernando Torres. Scouts from top clubs showed interest, and he visited Arsenal and met Arsene Wenger. After learning that his Le Havre teammate and cousin Anthony Le Tallec was joining Liverpool, he opted to sign for Liverpool to keep playing alongside him. He remained on loan at Le Havre for two years and later was only a bit-part player at Anfield while scoring a key goal for Liverpool.

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