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In this last section, I take a look at several more Gunners and what makes them tick both on and off the pitch. If you want to know about the rest of the squad, check out Part One here and Part Two here.
Arsenal‘s big centre-forward Olivier Giroud says he loves life in London as the city is never boring and is a very nice place. When he has friends over, his drink of choice is beer (but not too much). If there was one player he would idolise at Arsenal, it would be Thierry Henry because of his success at the club and the monumental number of goals he scored for the North Londoners.
Of all the goals he has scored for the club, the one most important to him is the one he scored away at Schalke 04 in the UEFA Champions League because it was his first goal in Europe’s elite competition. While he thinks his shot has a lot more power than Santi Cazorla’s, he admires the Spaniard’s precision and ambidextrous nature.
German defensive rock Per Mertesacker would try to solve world hunger if he was given a million dollars. When he went to Nigeria with Lukas Podolski and Bacary Sagna last summer, he didn’t know they would have to dance, but loved the experience. Although he is easily recognisable, he enjoyed the anonymity that the Olympics brought because he could be himself at the events. The German centre-back thinks that Lukasz Fabianski is one of the cleverest members in the Arsenal squad.
And yes, Per does like pears.
The Little Mozart Tomas Rosicky likes dogs because his parents have one, and his favourite opponent was Zinedine Zidane. He would love to have Superman’s powers and is a fan of all types of music, including the rock and classical genres. As expected from an Arsenal player, the goal he remembers most fondly was the one he scored against Tottenham Hotspur in their 5-2 win at the Emirates. He also happens to like cheesecake.
Tomas Rosicky
Goalkeeper Vito Mannone thinks Santi Cazorla is Arsenal’s most talented player. ‘Don Vito’ also thinks it would be quite nice to go into films and be cast as a mob boss after he hangs up his gloves, partly due to his Sicilian roots. Having been sent on loan to Hull, he thinks the city is quite laid back. One of his greatest inspirations is his father, from whom he has learnt a lot.
Like Rosicky, lanky Frenchman Abou Diaby says the best player he has played against is Zizou. His favourite breakfast cereal is wheat puffs. The best match he has ever played in an Arsenal shirt was the one-nil win away at Real Madrid in the Champions League. He misses Emmanuel Eboue a lot, because of the Ivorian’s cheerful disposition on and off the pitch. The Frenchman also thinks countryman Sagna is ‘too crazy’ for him.
Diaby enjoys basketball as well, and is a fan of the Miami Heat.
The defensive midfielder’s fellow Frenchman Laurent Koscielny says London being a fashion capital makes it easy for him to take his wife shopping. Despite his Polish heritage, the centre-back doesn’t speak the language. He loves chocolate cake and would prefer winning the World Cup to the Champions League. When he was in France, he had a pet cat.
Carl Jenkinson, Arsenal’s English right-back, says he wouldn’t mind going on a reality TV show since it would be good to give it a go and have a good laugh on air. He loves Ben and Jerry’s cookie dough flavoured ice-cream and he would love to have the power of flight. He would also love to step into the shoes of Gunners legend Tony Adams because of what he has done for the club in the past.
Welshman Aaron Ramsey likes the Bourne series of films. Football aside, Aaron is also quite a good rugby player. He thinks qualifying for the World Cup with Wales and trying to win it would be a very special occasion. His grandmother used to make Welsh cakes, which he says were very nice, but he isn’t too fond of cheese. Unlike some players, Ramsey doesn’t have any pre-match routines. At half time, he says Arsene Wenger is very positive and very encouraging.
Mikel Arteta
The Gunners’ midfield maestro Mikel Arteta says his favourite goal was the one he scored against Blackburn because it was his first for the club. He is good friends with Andre Santos and the duo pull pranks on the other members of the team from time to time. Arteta is an ardent tennis fan and used to play the game when he was young. His favourite stadium is the Camp Nou in Barcelona. One of his favourite TV shows is Entourage, and he still dreams of playing for the Spain National Football Team. He is also best mates with Santi Cazorla.
And at long last, here is the secret to Arteta’s hair. It’s a combination of looking after yourself and strong hair-gel.
