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Ryo Miyaichi is back playing in Japan.

5 former Arsenal players you had no idea are still playing outside of Europe

Ben Stewart •

While most former Arsenal players are currently active elsewhere in Europe, plenty of former Gunners have ventured away from the continent.

Whether they have been lured elsewhere with big financial incentives or they have returned to their native country, there are plenty of examples of former Arsenal players now playing elsewhere.

Here are five former Arsenal players you probably had no idea are still playing outside of Europe.

David Ospina

Ospina’s move to the Saudi Pro League somewhat went under the radar, perhaps because he arrived just before the influx of superstars in 2023.

The Colombian goalkeeper was sidelined for the majority of last season with an elbow injury and he only recently made his return to first-team action.

Now rubbing shoulders with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane at Al-Nassr, Ospina is currently looking to reclaim his number one spot under Luis Castro.

Ryo Miyaichi

“He has a raw ability which has attracted many clubs around the world.” Those were the words of Arsene Wenger after Miyaichi penned his first professional deal with Arsenal in 2011.

Despite his lofty potential back in the day, injuries haven’t been kind to the winger over the years. Since leaving Arsenal in 2015, the Japanese international has missed over 170 games through various injuries.

Thankfully, he seems to be in a relatively decent state nowadays and currently plays for Japanese outfit Yokohama F. Marinos. Despite all the injury problems he’s faced, he’s still got plenty of speed in those legs of his.

Joel Campbell

Remembered fondly for his 2014 World Cup campaign with Costa Rica, Campbell is now back playing in his native country for Alajuelense.

The forward spent a total of seven years on the books at Arsenal, although he only made 40 senior appearances in that time. While under contract with the Gunners, he spent most of his days out on loan.

Since returning to Costa Rica in the summer of 2023, the 31-year-old has scored nine goals and has provided four assists in 34 appearances.

Park Chu-young

In 2011, Park joined Arsenal from Monaco in a somewhat eyebrow-raising move. The South Korean forward was 26 years old at the time and he made just one Premier League appearance before he left the club.

After a short spell in Saudi Arabia, the forward returned to South Korea in 2015 where he still plays today. He enjoyed some good years with FC Seoul and now plays for Ulsan HD.

It’s safe to say that he doesn’t rank very highly in the history of Arsenal players to have donned the famous No.9 shirt.

READ: Ranking every player to wear No.9 for Arsenal in the Premier League

Carlos Vela

The Mexican winger is technically a free agent right now, although he has been in renewal talks with LAFC over a new deal.

“We’ll have talks and we’ll see if I can carry on playing here,” Vela told reporters last month. “I’d be delighted to stay, but if not, I’ll look for something else and will keep enjoying the little time I have left playing soccer.”

In 188 appearances for LAFC, Vela has scored 93 goals and has chipped in with 54 assists. Given the start of the new MLS season is only a few weeks away, we’d expect the 34-year-old to make a decision on his future soon.

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