Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has revealed that he supported both Arsenal and Chelsea when he was growing up.
| Chamberlein Supported Chelsea |
The 22-year-old joined the Gunners in 2011 and he scored the winner when the two aforementioned sides met in the Community Shield at the start of this season.
However, the former Southampton player has revealed that he also used to follow the Blues when he was growing up, and was particularly captivated by the majestic skills of Gianfranco Zola.
Oxlade-Chamberlain said: “I wasn’t the most loyal fan as a boy, I’m not going to lie.
“I used to support Zola and Henry so whenever Chelsea or Arsenal were playing and those two were playing, I would support them and the team.”
“As I grew older, as I understood football more, watching the whole Arsenal team and how they used to play, that’s what I fell in love with and that was a massive part of why I chose to come to Arsenal at the time I did,” he continued.
“I think my family, because my dad was a footballer and his brother, my uncle, was a footballer, I don’t think there was ever really that fanatical support towards one team. It was almost something that was taken for granted that football was just football and we all just loved playing it and appreciated it.
“I was never brought up supporting a team, it was more just supporting players and what style of play I loved. My dad used to love watching Man United back in the day when they used to play some good stuff and then he used to love Arsenal and used to love Chelsea before that, but he was more of a Stoke fan because that’s where he’s from.
“I couldn’t see myself getting involved with that. I never really supported a team. I used to love Arsenal but I’m from down south so could never come to games. I think the only games I used to ever be able to go to was as a ball boy at Southampton. They used to let the Academy boys be the ball boys down there. I wasn’t the best football fan back in the day but just loved watching and supporting players.”
Oxlade-Chamberlain was amongst the scorers on Monday night as England concluded their European Championships qualification campaign with a 3-0 victory away to Lithuania.
The 22-year-old will now return to club action with Arsenal, but – despite his considerable talent – he still isn’t guaranteed a regular starting spot for the Gunners, with central midfielder Aaron Ramsey frequently being deployed on the right flank.
Oxlade-Chamberlain has previously acknowledged that he needs to add more goals to his game in order to be able to improve further. His core skill set of pace, power and skill, however, represents a daunting task for any defender to deal with.
He will hope to feature in some capacity when Arsenal take on Watford at Vicarage Road in the Premier League on Sunday evening, with Arsene Wenger’s side looking to build upon the encouraging victory they secured against Manchester United last time out.
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