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It wasn't a game to remember, but it was a moment not to be forgotten. The prodigal son finally returned. He played with a covering to protect his nose, or possibly to 'mask' his emotions. Just like the intensity of the game, the booing also progressively reduced as we approached the ninety. The Arsenal zealots seemed to lose interest in him. But, in the 90th minute, when he was finally hooked off, and started to to make his way off the pitch he once called home, it happened.
It started from the North Bank End and disseminated; applause from all corners of the stadium. And he reciprocated. It was a final ode to the precocious youngster from Catalunya. It certainly wasn't a pre-empted gesture but was definitely ineffable. We have clapped and cheered for him countless number of times, but I think this is the one round of applause that he is unlikely to forget.
Saying a proper goodbye
Watching the Spaniard in Blue wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. It was hard, but certainly wasn't as gut-wrenching as some of the other departures. I guess one of the reasons for that might be the circuitous path he chose to reach West London; not many choose to go via Barcelona. We were lampooned greatly by other fans, and in my opinion, they embellished the 'betrayal' story, and made it seem a whole lot worse than it actually was. They seemed to have forgotten, that we had prized another player away from Camp Nou that very summer – Alexis Sanchez – and he has left all of us sanguine about the future. As one Arsenal fan rightly noted, ' We have moved on, it's time the others do too'.
But on that Sunday evening in the Emirates, we put all our animosity aside and stood up to applaud the Spanish midfielder. That gesture wasn't us welcoming back our ex-captain, it was us saying goodbye to him. We hadn't had a chance to properly do so four years ago.
He left the stadium with his head held high, a tear in his eye and a jersey of the player who replaced him at Arsenal wrapped around his shoulders.
