Gerard Houllier made the shocking revelation in an interview with Liverpool Echo.

Seems like Arsene Wenger wasn't the only one closing in on Cristiano Ronaldo's signing back in the day!

According to an interview published by Liverpool Echo, coach Gerard Houllier admitted having turned down the Reds' intentions to sign the Portuguese ace. The former boss shared details on how the team approached CR7, and why they decided to put a halt to their intentions.

"I saw him at the U-21 tournament in Toulon back then, and I went straight to get him. Unfortunately, we had established a salary scale for all our players, and we couldn't pay him what he wanted. I decided not to break the salary scale we had back then, as it could have created problems inside our locker room," Houllier stated.

The former French boss won the 2000-'01 UEFA Cup and Super Cup with Liverpool.

The 70-year od Frenchman went on to reveal which player they chose to sign insted. Liverpool fans may not be happy to find out that the Reds decided to sign Harry Kewell after turning down the Portuguese striker.

"We signed Harry Kewell, because he was really stunning to watch back then, but his injuries took a toll on his love for football. Maybe if we had signed Cristiano, we would have won the league that year," the French tactician added.

Houllier claims that, following his approach to CR7, Manchester United's players twisted Sir Alex Ferguson's arm to sign him after the Red Devils played a friendly against Sporting Lisbon, with CR7 in the Portuguese team's lineup.