Players' Tribune Football

Mikel Merino on @Arsenal’s path to winning the @premierleague title: “What wasn’t so funny was Wolves.

One slip, and all we heard was ‘same old Arsenal.’ To be honest, there were doubts inside the team too. Giving away a 2–0 lead should never happen. But the day after the game, the players had a meeting inside the dressing room, without the boss. Everyone spoke up. Nobody talked about tactics. This was about how a group of human beings handle adversity together. I spoke about how I saw the team from the outside, and I said that this was something we as players had to handle, because the boss couldn’t do everything for us. When one person has so many tasks at one club, you need leaders who can figure things out on their own.

Well, at this club, we do.

In my view, that was the day we won the title.

Even when we lost to Bournemouth and City, that meeting kept us together. We decided to use all the criticism as fuel, and thanks to social media we saw everything.

We were bottlers. Runners-up. Second, second, second. Boring. Set-piece team. Couldn’t score from open play. Couldn’t handle the pressure. When they questioned our professionalism, we grew even closer.

The guy with the bottle on TV? We just laughed.

‘Bantah,’ like the English say.

The boss was on fire. Every team talk, he reached into our hearts. He spoke about looking out for one another, like a family. The culture we have is thanks to him. Even when the world expected us to collapse, I felt confident that the title would be ours.” playerstribu.ne/Merino

As it was written. 🪄

✍️ @EzriKonsa

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in 2024: “When I was young, in the summer when there was no school, we were going every day to play football in the streets. Kids everywhere. We make little tournaments. It was like four buildings. In the centre of these buildings was our ‘stadium.’ But only hard concrete. Later, we get the turf. But at first, concrete. Knees all red when we go down. Lots of bloody knees.

And you know what? People watch us from the buildings. Like fans.

In Georgia, people love sports. But football is first. Always first. Any football, they will watch. Friendly games. Kids in the street. Doesn’t matter. You have a crowd.Sometimes we were playing at night, when the babies should be sleeping. We start shouting and arguing about the match and the babies wake up. The parents, they are mad. And that was the end of our night games. Too much noise. No more “Champions League.”

Me, I didn’t yell too much. Mainly calm. Never starting fights. Sometimes people were saying, ‘This guy is shy, I think.’ (Even now, people say this.) But I am not. I just respect everyone.

But. But!!!

If you touch my friends or something, I will go fierce. This is the mentality, you understand? I never start the fight. But I can finish it. Especially if my friend is in trouble, I have to help.

My mom hated this. ‘Why you fighting? Be calm.’

But where I come from, you never leave a friend in trouble.” playerstribu.ne/Khvicha

Jorginho had a message for all the dreamers in 2021: “Sure, this is a story about pursuing your dream until the very end. But it’s also about having good people around you. People who care, who want the best for you.

Man, you can be as good as you want. But I’m telling you: In football, and in life, you cannot make it to the top alone. It’s impossible.

The weeks after the Euros were magical. I spent some time in Verona, where I had not been for a long time, and I visited the monastery. Unfortunately, everyone was on vacation, but it was really emotional to see my home from 14 years earlier. Then I went to the main square, walked into the McDonald’s and bought a milkshake. I sat down on the stairs in the corner, where I had spent so many afternoons as a teenager, and I just … watched.

Then I closed my eyes and went back in time. And it was like I could see my 15-year-old self sitting there next to me. Nobody took any notice of him. Nobody knew about his homesickness or the conversations he was having with his parents.

He was just a shy and skinny kid sipping a one-euro milkshake.

But I knew about all the difficulties he had endured, and about those he was about to endure. So I leaned over and whispered the same thing that I would tell every kid who is chasing a dream.

I said, ‘Don’t give up, man.’

Whatever happens, don’t give up.” playerstribu.ne/Jorginho

@FrelloJorginho | @Flamengo

Gabriel Jesus came to Arsenal to win: “I feel that I have unfinished business at Arsenal. I don’t want to leave. When I came here to join Mikel, my purpose was not only to score goals. My purpose was to win titles. When I came to the Premier League, I think most people’s reaction was, ‘Oh? Who is this kid?’ They looked at me as a pure goalscorer. But that’s not how I see myself. My strongest trait is that I will do whatever it takes to help the team win titles. At City, I played many roles. I shared the goal scoring load with Agüero sometimes. Other times, I played out on the wing. And other times, I used my physicality to link up play. I think that’s why Mikel brought me here, years ago. I don’t always need to be the number 9 to help the team.

I am not still here for the weather, eh?

I am here to make history.

And I know you all don’t follow Brazilian football here in England, but let me give you a quick history lesson! When I got called to the main team at Palmeiras, when I was 18, they hadn’t won the Brazilian league in 22 years.

We woke up the ‘sleeping giant’ and won the title, and now they can’t stop winning. I go back there sometimes, and I walk the halls at the club, and all you see are trophies, trophies, trophies....

I think it can be the same at Arsenal. We can wake up the sleeping giant. I have worked with Mikel since I came to this country, and I know what he demands from me. It’s the same as he demands from the chef. Everything, every day.

With this manager and this squad, we can do it. I trust my football. I trust God’s plan. And I know that if I get a chance, I can help the team with the league.” playerstribu.ne/Jesus