Former Arsenal defender Giovanni van Bronckhorst has recalled how luck was on his side when it came to joining Barcelona in 2003.
The left-back had spent two seasons at Arsenal, winning a Premier League title and FA Cup when his compatriot Frank Rijkaard handed him a ‘dream’ move to the Nou Camp, where he won two La Liga titles and a Champions League title.
“I got a call from Rijkaard, saying that he wanted to sign me but I had to wait another two weeks because Barcelona had several options for the left-back position,” he told FourFourTwo. “I remember when I read that Frank had become Barça’s new coach: I said to my wife, “Oh, maybe he’ll take me there”. I always had a very positive relationship with him.
“But sometimes in life, you also have to be a little lucky in terms of timing. My advantage was that I was a cheap option for them: Barcelona weren’t in a strong financial position at that time and I signed on loan.
“It was a dream come true for me, because I used to be a fan of Barça. Some of the boys at Arsenal were surprised by my transfer; I told Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira after training that I wouldn’t be back the next day because I was flying to Barcelona and they were like, ‘What?! When you go out on loan from Arsenal, you usually join clubs like Sunderland or Middlesbrough, not Barça!’”
“Looking back, I’m very grateful that I was able to play for Arsenal, in such a great side and at Highbury. It was a brilliant time, even if I didn’t play all of the matches.”
After an initial season on loan in Catalonia, Van Bronckhorst completed a permanent move to the club and was part of the team that won their first European Cup since 1992 when his former side Arsenal were dispatched in the 2006 final.
The Dutch international would then return to his first club Feyenoord in 2007, where he saw out the rest of a career that saw him win 11 major honours and earn 106 Netherlands caps as a player, before he moved into management.
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