9 great players you didn’t realise support Arsenal: Maradona, Pogba, Hazard…
Former Barcelona, Chelsea and Tottenham stars are among the great players who you probably didn’t realise support Arsenal.
The Gunners are one of the biggest clubs on the planet, with a global fanbase that stretches from one continent to another.
However, some people make their ties to Arsenal more obvious than others. Having scoured the internet, we’ve managed to find nine great players who you probably didn’t realise support Arsenal.
Gareth Bale
Given his status as a modern-day Tottenham great, Bale diplomatically stopped short of explicitly declaring himself an Arsenal fan.
But he did give Arsenal as his answer when asked which Premier League he followed growing up, during an appearance on Cadena Ser show El Larguero during his Real Madrid days in 2015.
“I used to like Arsenal a lot,” Bale admitted.
“But when I moved to Tottenham of course I liked them less – but I really admired Thierry Henry and Patrick Viera, those kind of players. They were incredible.”
David Alaba
“Yes, I was [an Arsenal fan as a child],” the Real Madrid defender told Bild in 2019.
“When you’ve been Arsenal fan as a kid you will be one your whole life in some way.”
Alaba has come up against the club he supported as a boy eight times during his professional career, all during his Bayern Munich days.
Six of these were double-legged Champions League knockout ties, with Alaba’s Bayern coming out on top on each occasion – with the Austrian memorably scoring and assisting during a 5-1 comeback thrashing back in 2016.
Alessandro Costacurta
The legendary Italian centre-back only ever represented AC Milan (save for a loan at Monza) during his playing career, but he had an opportunity to join Tottenham in 1996 – which he turned down in part due to his love of the Gunners.
“The idea of living in London was very exciting,” Costacurta told Arsenal’s official matchday programme for a legends match between Arsenal and the Rossoneri back in 2016.
“But I finally refused and you know why? Because I couldn’t betray my English love. The truth is that I’ve been a keen Arsenal fan since my childhood, and playing for ‘our’ bitter rivals would have been high treason.
“When I was younger I liked the Arsenal shirt, the stadium, and some of the players from the 1980s such as Liam Brady. And I’ve always gone against the tide. All my friends were Manchester United or Liverpool fans, so I picked Arsenal and I’ve never changed my mind.”
Eden Hazard
The Belgian winger might be a hero at Stamford Bridge, but he’s revealed that Arsenal were more his cup of tea as a youngster.
“When I was little the team I watched the most was the French national team,” Hazard told On The Front Foot in 2019.
“For me, the players I looked up to were Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry, and it’s difficult for me to admit because of my relationship with Chelsea, but I really liked the Arsenal team at the time.
“They had players like Robert Pires, [Sylvain] Wiltord and [Patrick] Vieira, so it was mainly French players that I followed growing up.”
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Paul Pogba
Hazard wasn’t the only great noughties footballer that idolised Henry, supporting Arsenal as a result.
“I will be honest. So, at the start, I was an Arsenal fan – obviously because of all the French players, you know,” Pogba told Manchester United’s official podcast in 2020.
“Me and my brother were but my other brother was a Manchester United fan.
“I couldn’t say anything so I used to love Henry and, because of him, I was an Arsenal fan.”
Micah Richards
The booming-voiced BBC pundit is generally the go-to voice for all things Manchester City, having come through their academy to play for them almost 250 times.
Richards grew up in the Chapeltown area of Leeds, but he had a soft spot for the Gunners.
“I was a big Ian Wright fan when I was younger, so I supported Arsenal,” he told The Telegraph in 2007.
“Wright and Patrick Vieira were my idols so if the opportunity came to play for them one day I’d take it.”
“I grew up an Arsenal fan,” Richards later explained on the Rest Is Football podcast.
“Not a lot of people know that actually because I went to Manchester at 14, everyone thinks I’m a Manc. I’m actually a Leeds lad.
“And I loved Thierry Henry and Vieira. My debut was Highbury away. When we used to travel back then we would have 21 players or two more, if anyone gets injured or ill they would come into the team.
“So I had no clue I was going to be on the bench that day, I thought I was going to be in the stand.
“And I just remember (Stuart) Pearce reading out the starting line-up and bench. I was 17, you don’t think you’re going to be involved. You’re just thinking who’s got the best pies, what we going to get for after, are we going to have a drink at half-time.
“Then I was in, ‘Oh my god I’m in’. Then you go in and see Thierry Henry warming up, and Vieira. And not only that Stuart Pearce brings me on. But don’t bring me on as a defender, he brings me on as a striker. Useless.
“He just goes, ‘Go up there and cause some f****** carnage, son’. I went up there, throwing my arms and legs, and everything.”
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Hulk
If you browsed the gossip columns between the years of 2009 and 2019, you’ll no doubt remember the bulky Brazilian from his incessant links to Premier League clubs.
In the end, he revealed it was a dream of his to play in England, which unfortunately never materialised.
“It’s always been a dream [to play in the Premier League],” Hulk told Portuguese station Sport TV back in 2017. “It’s a very competitive championship and the stadiums are full in every game, no matter what the team.
“I always follow the league and I have always supported Arsenal because of their way of playing. But unfortunately, they have not won trophies in recent years.”
Diego Maradona
“They play beautiful football. They break quickly – they defend and attack as one. I am a fan of Arsenal when I am in England,” the late, great El Diego reminisced back in 2008.
“When I was 19 they tried to buy me and another player from Argentinos Juniors – around the time Ricky Villa and Ossie Ardiles signed for Tottenham.
“But it didn’t happen. I sometimes wonder what might have happened.”
The story checks out. Eagle-eyed researchers have found a newspaper cutting from back in 1982, in which Maradona is quoted as saying “I want to play for Arsenal!” before his move from Boca Juniors to Barcelona.
What might’ve been, eh?
Ferenc Puskas
We can’t find any first-hand quotes from the Real Madrid icon declaring his support for the Gunners, but multiple sources have stated that he grew up supporting the club during his childhood in Hungary.
“The little cannon” indeed.