Former Arsenal star Granit Xhaka has claimed that getting booed by the home fans at the Emirates was a stroke of luck for his career as it only made him stronger as a player and a person.
Xhaka was the club captain at the Emirates when he was roundly booed off by the home fans while he was substituted in a 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace in November, 2019.
Unai Emery was the Arsenal manager and a month later he was sacked with Mikel Arteta coming in to take reins of the club.
The midfielder was a hugely divisive figure amongst the fans and it all came to a boil when he took off his captain’s armband and threw it on the ground while leaving the pitch against Palace on that fateful November afternoon.
Xhaka repaired his reputation and relationship with the club and the fans and spent close to four more years before leaving for Bayer Leverkusen in 2023.
However, the Swiss admitted that November afternoon was a turning point for his career.
The midfielder believes he was lucky to get booed by the home fans as Arsenal captain
Xhaka insisted that it came as a stroke of luck for his career that he got jeered by the fans of the club that he played for because it strengthened him as a person.
The midfielder admitted that it was an awful day for his whole family but it was also the day that changed his career.
“I was lucky to be booed in 2019. As captain at Arsenal. In front of 60,000 people”, Xhaka has been quoted as saying by Bild.
“I say luck because it made me incredibly strong.
“I’m grateful that I got out of there. Because it was a black day for my family, my wife, my parents. I think it was even harder for them than it was for me.”
Xhaka was pivotal at the heart of the Leverkusen midfield that won the Bundesliga last season without getting beaten while losing just one game in all competitions.
