Robert Pires plots belated farewell to Arsenal
Table of Contents
Villarreal winger Robert Pires is looking forward to getting the chance to finally say goodbye to the Arsenal faithful when he takes on his old club in the quarter-finals of the Champions League on Tuesday night.
The 35-year-old left North London for Spain in summer 2006 having made more than 250 appearances for Arsène Wenger's side, winning two Premier League titles and three FA Cups.
He made his last appearance in an Arsenal shirt in the 2006 Champions League final defeat to Barcelona in Paris, where he was substituted in an early tactical change following the sending-off of goalkeeper Jens Lehmann.
Such an exit was not the way Pires wanted to bring the curtain down on an Arsenal career which had seen him help guide the Gunners through an unbeaten Premier League campaign in 2003/2004.
And being back in London will give him the chance to salute the Arsenal fans, something that he could not do when he left the club almost three years ago.
"I have always had a tremendous relationship with the Arsenal fans and these games will be the occasion for me to say goodbye to them," Pires told Setanta.
"Not having been able to say goodbye to them is a pain to me.
"I wanted to have the chance to thank the Highbury public for their support, but I could not do it because my last game was the Champions League final with Barcelona.
"Then I announced my departure to Villarreal three days later and did not see them again. Sincerely, this draw is emotional to me, and fills me with nostalgia as well, that is for sure."
Related links:
Team
Personal
Also see:
The 35-year-old left North London for Spain in summer 2006 having made more than 250 appearances for Arsène Wenger's side, winning two Premier League titles and three FA Cups.
He made his last appearance in an Arsenal shirt in the 2006 Champions League final defeat to Barcelona in Paris, where he was substituted in an early tactical change following the sending-off of goalkeeper Jens Lehmann.
Such an exit was not the way Pires wanted to bring the curtain down on an Arsenal career which had seen him help guide the Gunners through an unbeaten Premier League campaign in 2003/2004.
And being back in London will give him the chance to salute the Arsenal fans, something that he could not do when he left the club almost three years ago.
"I have always had a tremendous relationship with the Arsenal fans and these games will be the occasion for me to say goodbye to them," Pires told Setanta.
"Not having been able to say goodbye to them is a pain to me.
"I wanted to have the chance to thank the Highbury public for their support, but I could not do it because my last game was the Champions League final with Barcelona.
"Then I announced my departure to Villarreal three days later and did not see them again. Sincerely, this draw is emotional to me, and fills me with nostalgia as well, that is for sure."
Please subscribe to our RSS feed to receive more updates. You can also subscribe by Email and enjoy our latest posts sent directly to your inbox.
Related links:
Team
Personal
Also see:
Post a Comment