Granit Xhaka has been speaking to the Players’ Tribune about his time at Arsenal, where he opened up on some tough moments.
Specifically, the £100,000-a-week man openly discussed how he felt after being jeered by his own supporters during the 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace in October 2019.
What’s the story?
Well, Xhaka admits he found it extremely difficult to deal with the booing from Arsenal fans, and even states it was the toughest period of his life to date.
The 100-cap Switzerland international also revealed his father told him to leave Arsenal after the shocking incident.
Speaking to the Players’ Tribune, the 29-year-old said: “The most difficult thing was for my parents, because they were in the stadium. So for them to see that, to feel that, was maybe worse than I felt it. This was the first time my Dad said to me, it’s time to go.”
Anybody who has ever abused a footballer should think long and hard about their actions after reading these comments.
Clearly, Xhaka has been hugely affected by the booing, and still carries the pain of that day to this very moment.
In our view, Unai Emery also handled the situation terribly, making things worse by stripping Xhaka of the captaincy shortly after the incident.
Granit Xhaka deserves credit for staying at Arsenal
After something like that happens, it must feel like the only option is to head through the exit door.
Xhaka’s father believed that was the right thing to do, but the Arsenal No.34 deserves credit for riding it out and turning things around under Mikel Arteta.
Now, he is adding to his 242 appearances for Arsenal with each passing week, playing a key role as he also fills in at left-back occasionally.
Xhaka is an important player for Arteta, and while he may be prone to a mistake or two, he is clearly a very, very strong character.
Hopefully, the £35m man never experiences anything like that ever again.
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