“My first crush remains Arsenal” – 35-year-old reveals Gunners transfer was ‘huge gamble’ for him
Now retired following a one-year stint at FC Nordsjaelland in Denmark between 2020-21, Johan Djourou is currently a pundit for RTS in Switzerland, as well as a podcast host, start-up business owner and manager of a women’s football team.
Clearly keeping himself busy, the former defender is able to use his experience gained over the years, whether it be at the highest level with Arsenal or what he learned later on in his career in Italy, Turkey or Germany, to help in his various ventures.
The 35-year-old sat down with L’Illustré to discuss his new role and his career, as well as his life, which was turned upside down when he agreed to move to the Gunners at a very young age.
Wanting to be a footballer since he was a kid, it was almost a dream come true to be given the chance by such a prestigious club, which is why he accepted, even if he knew it could backfire.
Asked if it was a risky job, he said: “Going young to Arsenal, at 16, was a huge gamble. The career of a footballer is so risky, especially since I immediately saw big. I hadn’t dreamed of playing all my life in Carouge, which is my club and one I love with all my heart.”
Djourou moved from Etoile Carouge in 2003 to join Arsenal’s U18s, where he climbed through the ranks, eventually making 144 appearances for the Gunners over 11 years.
He also enjoyed a few loan spells at Birmingham, Hannover and finally HSV before joining the latter permanently in 2014.
Travelling Europe thanks to his career, Djourou was then asked which clubs had enthused him the most.
He said: “All the clubs where I played. My first crush remains Arsenal, where I started alongside Arsène Wenger, Thierry Henry, the biggest players in the world. Wenger played the role of my father a bit.
“The day I arrived, at 16, he predicted a great career for me. He played me, gave me his trust. We were able to talk, exchange at a personal level when I needed it.”
