The Players Behind the Shirt || Arsenal No. 14
Once again, I've not looked into a famous shirt for a long time (as always the list of those I've looked in to are at the end of this post) and today, I've decided to focus on Arsenal's iconic no. 14.
Long gone are the days that the no. 14 meant that you were guaranteed a spot on the bench and the player when I think of Arsenal and this number isn't Aubameyang as in the image above, but the iconic Thierry Henry.
But before eulogising the great Frenchman (although I'm sure there are some Irish fans (i.e. @ablaze) who are conflicted on this point)...
Source - Amandip Gill's YouTube Channel
...I'll review which other players have worn the now iconic shirt.
1993 / 1994 - Martin Keown
1994 / 1995 - Martin Keown
1995 / 1996 - Martin Keown
1996 / 1997 - Martin Keown
1997 / 1998 - Martin Keown
1998 / 1999 - Martin Keown
1999 / 2000 - Thierry Henry
2000 / 2001 - Thierry Henry
2001 / 2002 - Thierry Henry
2002 / 2003 - Thierry Henry
2003 / 2004 - Thierry Henry
2004 / 2005 - Thierry Henry
2005 / 2006 - Thierry Henry
2006 / 2007 - Thierry Henry
2007 / 2008 - Vacant
2008 / 2009 - Theo Walcott
2009 / 2010 - Theo Walcott
2010 / 2011 - Theo Walcott
2011 / 2012 - Theo Walcott
2012 / 2013 - Theo Walcott
2013 / 2014 - Theo Walcott
2014 / 2015 - Theo Walcott
2015 / 2016 - Theo Walcott
2016 / 2017 - Theo Walcott
2017 / 2018 - Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
2018 / 2019 - Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
2019 / 2020 - Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
2020 / 2021 - Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
This might be a shorter article than usual!
So let's start at the top with a man who has become one of the most depressing co-commentators on the BBC. The BBC has a knack for spotting awful co-commentators which is a talent only bettered by BT Sport but I'll try to focus on the football here. That's if jumping on Ruud van Nistelrooy's back at the end of the match after he missed a penalty counts as football. I think it does. It was one of the highlights of the Premier League in my opinion. So here it is -
Source - Sky Sports Retro's YouTube channel
That's what it's all about. None of this matey, matey hugging and kissing your opponents at the end of a game. And this sums up Keown's game really. Not renowned for his talent (although if you've heard him on Match of the Day, he certainly rated himself highly), he was a fairly decent defender in his time who helped to form the back-bone of 3 Premier League titles and 3 FA Cup triumphs.
Then we get on to the man it's all about - Thierry Henry. One of the greatest players ever to grace the Premier League, Arsenal's all time top goalscorer and a pretty cool bloke too. Seriously, only Thierry Henry can make a Renault Clio cool.
Source - sterik14's YouTube Channel
I'd love to know who Bobby is.
The man's won everything so I'll try to find a fitting montage to showcase why he's so highly regarded.
Source - FTGoals YouTube Channel
I laughed more than once at the audacity of some of those tricks. 3:31. That's not enough...
Source - SportsHD's YouTube Channel
It makes me realise once again, how lucky I am to have seen him play live.
But we must move on. The article's not titled "Thierry Henry - Magician". So we move on to "Vacant". Then again to Theo Walcott.
Many would say that Walcott never quite fulfilled his potential after signing for Arsenal as a 16 year old and despite him seemingly always scoring against Reading, I'd be one of the many. If memory serves me correctly, Walcott struggled with the demands of playing out wide, always considering himself to be a centre forward. When given the chance up top, he often did well but didn't seem to ever cement himself as Wenger's 1st choice and the injuries started to affect him until he was eventually sold to Everton.
Our final player is Arsenal's current captain, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. For the first few years, he was seemingly carrying Arsenal by himself and then he did the thing no Arsenal player should ever do - sign a big money contract. Whether it's this or Arteta's system, he's lost his mojo of late and Arsenal fans will be hoping it's back for next season, their first season without European football since 1995/96. (I've just looked that up (source) and if I'm right, that's absolutely remarkable.) And somehow, I can't see them sacking Arteta in the summer.
It was reported recently that Aubameyang was dropped before Arsenal's game against Spurs for being late (again) and research suggests it's something he's done for a while with his previous manager at Dortmund, Thomas Tuchel, saying:
when we wanted him to be on time, we told him the meeting was 10.45am when the meeting was 11am so there was a good chance he would be there with everyone else. source
So it could well be that he's simply not playing for his manager any more, having fallen out with him. Who knows? Not me. What I do know though, is that last season, he was simply brilliant and if Arsenal want to be pushing for Europe again, they could do with an on-form Aubameyang.
So that wraps up another shirt and another article that I've enjoyed researching and writing. I'm off now to watch more YouTube videos of Thierry Henry.
Previous Articles:
AC Milan No. 3 and No. 6
Barcelona No. 10
Liverpool No. 7
Manchester United No. 7
Real Madrid No. 5
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I don't know about Martin Keown but seeing his action in the highlights towards Ruud van Nistelrooy gives the impression of bad player. Disgrace.
I love Thierry Henry because of his touches , pace , skills and ability to score the goal.
I don't what others have to say but I enjoyed watching Walcott . Loved him running past the defenders with his amazing pace and providing assists. Who would forget his performance against Reading !!! Amazing..
Good post .
🤔 I would like to.
Congratulations for the good votes you receive.
I see that many of your posts get good votes but no one reads or comments on you.
A writing and research effort that no one appreciates except for the curators.
I have a lot to learn from you!
I see you're out to make friends today.
This is both untrue and unfair. Perhaps it's time you, @njaywan or @worldoffootball reconsider your position as a moderator here. This isn't the first time you've been aggressive towards my work.
Yes. You do.
👊😊
Maybe she's saying it in a good way, you know. 🤷🏾♂️
🤔 Perhaps, if taken in complete isolation and feeling incredibly generous.
If you add in the comments (without upvotes) to 3 other posts upvoted by steemcurator01...
To a match I started with "This game was a bit shit." - which was generous (as anybody who'd actually watched the match would know).
...then it paints a clearer picture of somebody who should've muted me the last time she got jealous of my upvotes. And certainly of somebody who shouldn't be a moderator for a community that attracts this type of support.
Sigh..😪😪
Thanks for the feedback
That's what good coaching is. Allowing people to realise the things they already know.