‘Pires has that Indian wisdom in him’

Robert Pires may have only had six years in north London, but he made a lasting impact.

 

The World Cup winner lifted two Premier League titles and two FA Cups during his time here, and is regarded as one of our greatest players of all time.

 

Pires went on to have spells with Villarreal, Aston Villa and FC Goa, and Arsene Wenger is not surprised that his former winger is still worshipped worldwide.

 

“He played in India, in the Indian championship,” the manager told Arsenal Player. “I’m not surprised [they love him] because he has that Indian wisdom in him.

 

“He’s a player who came here unknown and we speak about him now as an exceptional footballer because he was an exceptional footballer.

 

“Even today, sometimes he trains with us and everybody thinks, when they come out of training, ‘Yes, this guy really was exceptional’. He does good work for us as well as an ambassador because he’s very sociable and welcomes everybody. He gives a very good image of our club.”