Arsenal star admits he was a fan of London rivals growing up
Arsenal midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has revealed he used to support Chelsea when he was a child – due to the fact they had Gianfranco Zola.
Chamberlain made his name in football at Southampton after graduating from their successful academy, but just like Theo Walcott, he then completed a transfer to Arsenal at a young age.
Now on the fringes of the first-team and close to being a regular under Arsene Wenger, The Ox, as he’s known by the fans, is slowly becoming a favourite around the Emirates Stadium.
However, he may have put that reputation in danger after recently admitting he used to support their London rivals Chelsea when he was growing up.
Chamberlain admitted that it was Zola and Thierry Henry that he loved watching, but when he started to understand football more, he swayed to the red side of London.
Chamberlain Loved Zola
“I wasn’t the most loyal fan as a boy, I’m not going to lie,” he told onlinegooner.com.
“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.
“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.”
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt
