Arsenal team-sheet shows Barcelona star Ivan Rakitic once had a trial at the club

An Arsenal team-sheet showing Ivan Rakitic on the club's roster has gone viral.

It's not clear when this team would have been in action, in what appears to be a match against the Ajax academy. But judging by the names of other players in the same team - Nicklas Bendtner, Fabrice Muamba, Jay Simpson, and Anthony Stokes - it would have been around 2004.

From 1995 to 2005 Rakitic was plying his trade at Basel before progressing through the ranks and featuring for the first team from 2005 to 2007.

It is entirely plausible that he had a short trial with Arsenal in 2004 before returning to Switzerland after presumably failing to impress the scouts in north London.

After his two years in the Basel first team, Rakitic moved to Schalke for four seasons before heading to Sevilla for another three.

He was then of course signed by Barcelona in 2014, where he has remained ever since, winning La Liga three times and the Champions League once.

The team-sheet was posted online by former Arsenal academy player Les Thompson - whose name was also included in the squad.

Alongside the image, Thompson wrote: "When I used to starve Rakitic for minutes".

Arsenal fans have reacted as you'd expect to the idea they had a future Champions League winner on their books, only to let him go.

One wrote: "So Rakitic was on trial at Arsenal as a youngster. We kept Lord Bendtner and let him get away? Nice."

While another added: "Our academy is clearly a disgrace, Harry Kane and Rakitic overlooked."

Rakitic has not previously discussed his alleged trial with Arsenal, but has spoken out about the team fondly.

Ahead of Barcelona's Champions League last-16 clash with the Gunners in 2016, the Croatian said: "It won't be easy against a top-quality opponent, who are in good form.

"They will be at 100 percent, and with their fans pushing them on. We have full respect for them, they are one of the biggest clubs in football history, so we have to play the best game possible.

"There is no need to talk about favourites. We are in good form too, we must keep playing our way."