It was a shame how he carried on...
An enormous roar engulfs the crisp late-Winter air as Samir Nasri bustles down the right flank, chasing after a defence-splitting Cesc Fabregas pass. He reaches the ball on the apex of the opposition penalty area. As he looks up, he sees only Victor Valdes before him, but the angle is too tight. Nasri decides against the shot.
Instead, the Frenchman checks back, offering Robin van Persie the chance to scream for the square ball as he catches up with the attack. The covering centre-backs obscure the passing lane into the centre forward; Nasri holds on.
Beyond the onrushing striker comes a smaller figure, hurtling in from the opposite touchline as fast as his little legs can carry him. Now is the moment. Nasri slides a perfect delivery across the pristine North London turf. The ball is simply begging to be hit.
Without having to break stride, Andrei Arshavin meets the Adidas orb with a whipped low first-time strike that skims past the shin pads of the defenders and flat-foots the goalkeeper, nestling inexorably into the bottom corner of the net.
Arsenal have scored twice in the space of five minutes to turn around a one goal deficit and secure a famous victory against the best team in the world. And not just any "best team in the world". This is 'Barcelona 2011'. Pep's Barca. A super team. Arguably the greatest club side of all time.
That cold February night more than a decade ago is by far and away the greatest European occasion that Emirates Stadium has hosted in it's 17-year history thus far. And yet, when the official Arsenal social media accounts shared a video montage of memorable "Champions League nights under the lights" last month ahead of their return to the continent's elite competition, the Arshavin goal was nowhere to be seen.
Was this just an oversight? Perhaps. For all we know Darren England was working the Gunners' socials desk that afternoon and assumed the goal had already been clipped into the edit before he clicked post. Well done boys, good process.
More than likely though, the historic goal had been intentionally ignored. Due to recent experience, Arsenal had learned that it was not worth the risk.
Back in May, the official club account had sent out a tweet wishing a happy birthday to Arshavin, which caused a fairly substantial online backlash. This was not merely based on their ex-winger's nationality - it was alleged by some users that the former player was actually a vocal supporter of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and that he had even confirmed on state television that he would sign up for military service if required to protect his nation. In response to the storm, Arsenal quickly deleted their post.
As well as being unable to afford a lawyer, this is categorically not the platform to analyse the details of those allegations against Arshavin. What is clear, though, is that, due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, there remains a distinct corporate fear of the severe reputational damage that can be caused by sharing, or liking, or engaging with any Russian-affiliated media or content. Arsenal's message itself was hardly controversial, but the context made it so.
This anti-Russian sentiment is, of course, entirely understandable. Football clubs can only do so much in the circumstances, but disengaging with the aggressors of a war is something that can and should be done as a bare minimum. If only that policy could be applied across the board...
Whilst it seems the right thing to do, it is an undeniably sad situation that a Premier League cult hero like Arshavin, who served up some wonderful moments that have lasted in the memory of so many people, now must be Eternal-Sunshine-of-the-Spotless-Mind-ed.
The vicissitudes of Arshavin's career were sharp. A dazzling display against the Dutch in the Euro 2008 quarter-final was the career zenith for the captain of Zenit, and it led to his transfer to North London in January 2009. Arshavin's impish playing style, youthful smiling face and various broken-English quotes, such as "now I am Gooner" and "I heal like dog", quickly endeared him to the Arsenal faithful. His four goal haul at Anfield and that aforementioned winner against Barcelona certainly helped too. But alas, the winger was made of wax.
Within three years of his arrival, the Russian was being booed onto the field by his own fans as he replaced Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in a fixture against Manchester United. He was subsequently loaned back to St Petersburg for the remainder of the 2011/12 season. He returned to Arsenal that summer but barely featured the following season before leaving on a free transfer.
An elite, if esoteric, performer in his prime, Arshavin's playing career had an etiolated end. After disappearing into the darkness, the recent light that has been shone onto him maybe suggests that was the best place for him.
This article was written by James Ablett and first published on www.kanubelieveit.com on 7 October 2023.
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