Arsenal were one of the biggest and most successful football clubs in the world in the 1990s and early 2000s, so it stands to reason that a number of current players grew up supporting the Gunners.
Indeed, under Arsene Wenger, the London club were the most stylish and trendy team on the planet, boasting talents such as Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Robert Pires.
Understandably, football fans of a certain age often have a soft spot for Arsenal, and we’re going to take a look at five players who have openly admitted supporting the north London outfit.
Christian Benteke
Christian Benteke has been a Premier League regular for a decade, and while he’s played for the likes of Liverpool and Aston Villa, his true love is Arsenal.
Indeed, the Belgian admitted when he joined Aston Villa that he’s a massive Gooner, and he even said that he thought Villa were a London club when he signed.
“I like their philosophy of selecting young players, and besides, they had Thierry Henry,” Benteke said.
“For me he is the best player in the world and was my boyhood idol. I’m not afraid of making enemies at Villa by saying I love Arsenal.”
Dejan Kulusevski
This is an awkward one.
The Swedish winger is already a Tottenham fan favourite, but he has previously admitted on the Lundh Podcast that Arsenal are his favourite team.
“My favourite team is Arsenal, because I like everything about the club, the city, the players and the way they play football,” Kulusevski said when asked about who he supports.
Interestingly, Kulusevski was linked to Arsenal before joining Tottenham, but sadly, the Gunners opted not to bring the Swede in.
Kulusevski will get his first taste of a north London derby in the near future, but he won’t be turning out for the team he grew up supporting.
Matt Doherty
The second Tottenham player on this list, even Spurs themselves couldn’t shy away from the fact that Doherty is an Arsenal supporter.
Back in 2012, the Irishman even tweeted ‘I love Arsenal forever and ever’, and Tottenham used that tweet in a Youtube video, poking fun at the fact he’d joined the Gunners’ biggest rivals.
The right-back has enjoyed a resurgence under Antonio Conte this year, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s an Arsenal supporter at heart.
Doherty said he’d love Arsenal forever, but he’s probably been willing them to lose in the last few weeks as Spurs compete with their rivals for a top-four finish.
Teun Koopmeiners
Teun Koopmeiners is currently starring for Atalanta in Serie A, but he’s been consistently linked to Arsenal for years.
De Telegraaf in the Netherlands even reported amid these rumours that the midfielder is a big Arsenal supporter, and he could end up fulfilling his boyhood dream of playing for the London club in the coming years.
Koopmeiners is a very talented player, and Arsenal would be wise to have another look at him this summer.
Ollie Watkins
Speaking of Arsenal’s summer transfer plans, the Gunners are in desperate need of a striker.
Mikel Arteta’s side need a new centre-forward and they could do a lot worse than looking at boyhood Arsenal supporter Ollie Watkins.
The England international admitted to Pro Direct Soccer that he supported Arsenal as a kid.
“Growing up, I was a big Arsenal fan,” said Watkins. “Thierry Henry (was the one I looked up to).”
Watkins has proven that he’s capable of being a star at Premier League level, and with Danny Ings competing with him for the number nine spot at Villa Park, he could well be open to a move this summer.
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