Xhaka enjoyed the post-match celebrations at Stamford Bridge. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
6. “It’s F*cking Unbelievable”
6th November 2022
Arsenal have just beaten Chelsea 1-0. Xhaka is getting interviewed by BT Sport. He’s wearing the captain’s armband. The fans are singing his name. He gets asked for his thoughts about the win.
“You see this atmosphere? It’s f*cking unbelievable!” he answered, much to the chagrin of the interviewer.
You were quite right Xhaka, the atmosphere was indeed majestic.
7. 2022/23 season
Xhaka is never a boring player, and that was particularly true this season. Two moments really stood out to me, though.
The first came against West Ham in December. Tomas Soucek falls to the ground with the ball between his legs as Arsenal are awarded a free kick. Xhaka tries to wrestle him away from it, which takes a few seconds and the help of Martin Odegaard, lifting Soucek’s leg for no apparent reason.
As Xhaka is then lining up to take the freekick, Lucas Paqueta kicks the ball away, so Xhaka just kicks it at him from a couple of metres away and then jogs away serenely with the ball. It exemplifies the type of player he is: a battler.
The second moment came at the end of the North London Derby this season. After a tetchy game that Arsenal won, there was funny business down Aaron Ramsdale’s end when a fan attempted to kick him and there was some bad blood between the keeper and Richarlison.
https://twitter.com/deadsy11/status/1614834547002331137
Thankfully, Mikel Arteta calmed the situation down and put an arm around Ramsdale, taking him away from the scuffle. Then, he saw Xhaka jogging over which triggered a cartoonish double take. The Spaniard’s eyebrows rise considerably and he sprints over to take care of Xhaka as well. One of Arsenal’s funniest moments of the season.
Looking back over his time at Arsenal, I think it’s abundantly clear that the man will be sorely missed. His spirit, passion and leadership are big things to lose in that dressing room. Xhaka was always first to defend his teammates, and he never hid from the occasion despite reaching some seriously low points throughout his Arsenal career.
Thank you for your service, Granit.
news broke that Granit Xhaka is almost certainly going to Bayer Leverkusen</a> in the summer transfer window, combined with what looked like a <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/06/05/xhakas-best-moments-in-an-arsenal-shirt/4/"https://www.instagram.com/p/CszP37FKL3s/">goodbye post on Instagram</a>, it seems that his performance against Wolves will be his last in an Arsenal shirt.</strong></p>
<p>What a performance it was! The Swiss midfielder scored two goals in 13 minutes, giving the Emirates faithful plenty to cheer as Arsenal smashed Wolves 5-0.</p>
<p>Xhaka joined the Gunners in May 2016 and the seven years he has spent in London have been tumultuous, to say the least. Red cards, sloppy play, telling the Arsenal fans to f*ck off and being stripped of the captaincy, it was never boring.</p>
<p>However, beyond the controversy, Xhaka had some special moments in Arsenal colours and was one of the most consistent players this season for the best Gunners side in a long time.</p>
<p>Although he didn’t always have the love of the fans, he certainly had it this season and his hard work, leadership, grit, passion and screamers will be remembered at the club for a long, long time</p>
<p>The Swiss warrior was always brave and always took responsibility, and often showed up when Arsenal needed him.</p>
<h2>Granit Xhaka’s best moments in an Arsenal shirt</h2>
<p>In honour of his time in London, let’s go through some of his very finest moments in an Arsenal shirt.</p>
<div class="embed ">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Seven years for Granit Xhaka at <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/06/05/xhakas-best-moments-in-an-arsenal-shirt/4/"https://twitter.com/hashtag/Arsenal?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>#Arsenal</a>, in what has truly been a rollercoaster journey. Ahead of his last game, let’s enjoy his first goal for the club, and hope for a similar rocket to sign off with today. The redemption has come full circle. <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/06/05/xhakas-best-moments-in-an-arsenal-shirt/4/"https://twitter.com/hashtag/afc?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>#afc</a> <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/06/05/xhakas-best-moments-in-an-arsenal-shirt/4/"https://t.co/0rRXKytYuO">pic.twitter.com/0rRXKytYuO
<p>— Adam Keys (@adamkeys_) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/06/05/xhakas-best-moments-in-an-arsenal-shirt/4/"https://twitter.com/adamkeys_/status/1662743580497027078?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>May 28, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/06/05/xhakas-best-moments-in-an-arsenal-shirt/4/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div>
<h2>1. First goal for Arsenal</h2>
<p><em>17th September 2016</em></p>
<p>Of course, the first moment on this list has to be <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/06/05/xhakas-best-moments-in-an-arsenal-shirt/4/"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b3AMpW6w40%22>his first goal for Arsenal</a>. Coming on from off the bench, Xhaka finds himself in space in the midfield, about thirty-five yards from goal. He looks up, winds up his leg and unleashes a thunder strike that any footballer would’ve been proud of.</p>
<p>The ball, which is hit with such venom, arrows into the top corner. The keeper had no chance. He holds his hand up in delight as his teammates rush to celebrate with him.</p>
<p>Considering Arsenal were already 3-1 up at the time, it probably wasn’t the most important goal of his career. What a way to announce yourself to the fans, though!</p>
<p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/06/05/xhakas-best-moments-in-an-arsenal-shirt/4/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #2 and #3 Xhaka moments </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_62905" class="wp-caption alignnone">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-62905" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/06/05/xhakas-best-moments-in-an-arsenal-shirt/4/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2480,w_3674/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F08%2F614820614-arsenal-v-swansea-city-premier-league.jpg.jpg" alt="" width="3674" height="2480" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/08/614820614-arsenal-v-swansea-city-premier-league.jpg.jpg 3674w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/08/614820614-arsenal-v-swansea-city-premier-league.jpg-768x518.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3674px) 100vw, 3674px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Xhaka’s first dismissal. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)</p>
</div>
<h2>2. First red card</h2>
<p><em>15th October 2016</em></p>
<p>Most fans wouldn’t look back on a player’s first red card too fondly, but some players are an exception to that rule: Pepe, Sergio Ramos, and Granit Xhaka.</p>
<p>It didn’t take long for Xhaka to receive his first red for Arsenal. The Gunners were 3-1 up against Swansea with an hour on the clock.</p>
<p>Moudou Barrow was in space going down the wing when <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/06/05/xhakas-best-moments-in-an-arsenal-shirt/4/"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olDew6cgmOk%22>the Swiss midfielder cynically tripped him</a>. It wasn’t an attempt at the ball but it was a harsh red card and it was the beginning of a difficult relationship with Premier League referees.</p>
<p>Watching that red card now is almost nostalgic knowing that Xhaka is now on his way out.</p>
<p>One of my favourite football facts is that Granit Xhaka never received two yellow cards for Arsenal, he always received a straight red card if he was sent off.</p>
<p>https://twitter.com/Gunnersc0m/status/1585876516059041792</p>
<h2>3. Wonder free-kick against Palace</h2>
<p><em>28th October 2018</em></p>
<p>In this game against Crystal Palace, Arsenal were trailing to a Luka Milivojević penalty. Palace then conceded a free kick just to the right of their penalty area.</p>
<p>Xhaka steps up to take it. Everyone expects him to cross the ball but instead, he whips his foot around it and lasers it towards the far corner. The keeper does manage to get a hand on it, but it’s not enough to keep it out. In fact, he pushes it even more into the corner.</p>
<p>It’s a fantastic strike from Xhaka and the technique is beautiful. There are a lot of things to like about this goal: the shirts, the technique, the slight touch from the goalkeeper, the cannoning off the post, the ripple of the net and the noise from the crowd.</p>
<p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/06/05/xhakas-best-moments-in-an-arsenal-shirt/4/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #4 and #5 Xhaka moments </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div class="embed ">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Granit Xhaka’s stunning long-range goal against Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium today from the stands behind the goal. 😍😍 [<a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/06/05/xhakas-best-moments-in-an-arsenal-shirt/4/"https://twitter.com/GoonerJohnAFC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>@GoonerJohnAFC] <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/06/05/xhakas-best-moments-in-an-arsenal-shirt/4/"https://twitter.com/hashtag/afc?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>#afc</a> <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/06/05/xhakas-best-moments-in-an-arsenal-shirt/4/"https://t.co/x1M3wWqZqv">pic.twitter.com/x1M3wWqZqv
<p>— afcstuff (@afcstuff) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/06/05/xhakas-best-moments-in-an-arsenal-shirt/4/"https://twitter.com/afcstuff/status/1517969531423047686?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>April 23, 2022</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/06/05/xhakas-best-moments-in-an-arsenal-shirt/4/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div>
<h2>4. Super goal vs Manchester United (the second one)</h2>
<p><em>23rd April 2022</em></p>
<p>This was a period when Xhaka had gotten a lot of the fans back onside and optimism regarding Mikel Arteta was on the rise again.</p>
<p>The Gunners put in a fantastic performance against a good Manchester United side and took a 2-0 lead, courtesy of goals from Nuno Tavares and Bukayo Saka. Cristiano Ronaldo then scored his 100th Premier League goal to put United just one goal behind.</p>
<p>United won a penalty for a Tavares handball but Bruno Fernandes sidefooted it onto the post. Despite Arsenal being the better team for the whole game, the contest was still in the balance.</p>
<p>That is until Xhaka shifted the ball to his left foot five yards away from the penalty area, picked his spot and fired off a rocket past a sprawling David De Gea. He then sprinted to the corner and completed an excellent knee slide, just to add to the occasion.</p>
<p>It was very similar to a goal scored five years earlier against De Gea, except the Spaniard didn’t stand a chance this time around.</p>
<p>There are few sights sweeter in life than watching a wonder goal being scored against Manchester United that guarantees victory. In fact, I can’t think of any right now.</p>
<p>https://twitter.com/TheAthleticFC/status/1576195482166374406</p>
<h2>5. North London Derby strike</h2>
<p><em>1st October 2022</em></p>
<p>Oh, I just thought of a sight that’s just as sweet: a goal guaranteeing victory against Tottenham. Once again, a fantastic performance led to Arsenal being ahead 2-0, but a Harry Kane penalty led to Spurs halving the deficit.</p>
<p>Then, Gabriel Martinelli dribbled inside towards the penalty area but pushed it too far. Xhaka takes it from the Brazilian, bears down on Hugo Lloris and <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/06/05/xhakas-best-moments-in-an-arsenal-shirt/4/"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RB-aBItqdbo%22>slots the ball in the bottom right corner</a>.</p>
<p>The Emirates erupts, Xhaka hits another knee slide (less impressive this time) and Spurs are dead and buried. Beautiful.</p>
<p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/06/05/xhakas-best-moments-in-an-arsenal-shirt/4/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> More Xhaka moments </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_134924" class="wp-caption alignnone">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-134924" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/06/05/xhakas-best-moments-in-an-arsenal-shirt/4/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1725,w_2560/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1439474699-scaled.jpeg" alt="" width="2560" height="1725" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1439474699-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1439474699-768x517.jpeg 768w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1439474699-1536x1035.jpeg 1536w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1439474699-2048x1380.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Xhaka enjoyed the post-match celebrations at Stamford Bridge. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)</p>
</div>
<h2>6. “It’s F*cking Unbelievable”</h2>
<p><em>6th November 2022</em></p>
<p>Arsenal have just beaten Chelsea 1-0. Xhaka is getting interviewed by BT Sport. He’s wearing the captain’s armband. The fans are singing his name. He gets asked for his thoughts about the win.</p>
<p>“You see this atmosphere? It’s f*cking unbelievable!” <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/06/05/xhakas-best-moments-in-an-arsenal-shirt/4/"https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3YMywI2gejg">he answered</a>, much to the chagrin of the interviewer.</p>
<p>You were quite right Xhaka, the atmosphere was indeed majestic.</p>
<h2>7. 2022/23 season</h2>
<p>Xhaka is never a boring player, and that was particularly true this season. Two moments really stood out to me, though.</p>
<p>The first came against West Ham in December. Tomas Soucek falls to the ground with the ball between his legs as Arsenal are awarded a free kick. Xhaka tries to wrestle him away from it, which takes a few seconds and the help of Martin Odegaard, lifting Soucek’s leg for no apparent reason.</p>
<p>As Xhaka is then lining up to take the freekick, Lucas Paqueta kicks the ball away, so Xhaka just kicks it at him from a couple of metres away and then jogs away serenely with the ball. It exemplifies the type of player he is: a battler.</p>
<p>The second moment came at the end of the North London Derby this season. After a tetchy game that Arsenal won, there was funny business down Aaron Ramsdale’s end when a fan attempted to kick him and there was some bad blood between the keeper and Richarlison.</p>
<p>https://twitter.com/deadsy11/status/1614834547002331137</p>
<p>Thankfully, Mikel Arteta calmed the situation down and put an arm around Ramsdale, taking him away from the scuffle. Then, he saw Xhaka jogging over which triggered a cartoonish double take. The Spaniard’s eyebrows rise considerably and he sprints over to take care of Xhaka as well. One of Arsenal’s funniest moments of the season.</p>
<div class="embed ">
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="gCLjf3m5AY"><p><a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/06/05/xhakas-best-moments-in-an-arsenal-shirt/4/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/06/04/why-arteta-consider-saka-central-role/">Bukayo Saka in a central role can refresh Arsenal for 2023/24 season</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);" title="“Bukayo Saka in a central role can refresh Arsenal for 2023/24 season” — Pain in the Arsenal" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/06/05/xhakas-best-moments-in-an-arsenal-shirt/4/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/06/04/why-arteta-consider-saka-central-role/embed/#?secret=J2dXEPRrfe#?secret=gCLjf3m5AY" data-secret="gCLjf3m5AY" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p></div>
<p>Looking back over his time at Arsenal, I think it’s abundantly clear that the man will be sorely missed. His spirit, passion and leadership are big things to lose in that dressing room. Xhaka was always first to defend his teammates, and he never hid from the occasion despite reaching some seriously low points throughout his Arsenal career.</p>
<p>Thank you for your service, Granit.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">
