"This is hate. Pure hate" - this single incident marked the moment months, potentially years worth of frustration reached boiling point as Granit Xhaka, then-captain of a club as proud as Arsenal told his own supporters to f*** off as he made his way off the pitch.
His number had come up on the fourth official's electronic board, spelling the end of his afternoon as Arsenal tried to regain a foothold in their game against Crystal Palace, at what was a rain-sodden Emirates stadium in late October of 2019. The Gunners had raced into a 2-0 lead, only to be pegged back by the Eagles.
The atmosphere inside the ground was therefore already volatile, especially as Arsenal had been struggling under Unai Emery in the weeks leading up to the clash. It reached fever pitch by the time Xhaka had cupped his ears and thrown both his shirt and armband to the ground in anger.
The outburst was in response to the jeering that greeted news of his substitution as Xhaka failed to hide the pain of being booed off by his own fans. Many could have been forgiven for thinking that as the Switzerland international strode straight down the tunnel that would be the last they would ever see of him in a Gunners shirt.
Instead, he is now arguably a more vital cog in the Arsenal midfield than he was before and has since given his side of the story by reflecting on that fateful afternoon at the Emirates.
Writing for The Players Tribune, Xhaka explained: "That day against Crystal Palace, things went over the line. We had been 2–0 up, they made it 2–2, and then I was taken off after about an hour. I had barely begun to move when I heard the boos. And it was not just a few guys in the corner — it was a lot of people.
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"I was shocked. I had never experienced anything like this. When I got close to the tunnel, I looked up at the fans sitting there — and this is the part that I will always remember. When I close my eyes now, I can still see their faces. I can see their anger. It’s not that they don’t like me. No, it’s different."
The 29-year-old went on to recall how something seemed to switch in him that day, the usual stick received from the crowd was becoming more and more personal. "Yes, I was the Arsenal captain. But I am also a human being. So as a human being, hurt, I reacted," Xhaka added. "I talked back, I cupped an ear, and when I got off the pitch I threw my shirt on the ground and went down the tunnel. Was I wrong to do what I did? Yes.
"But would I do anything differently if it happened again tomorrow? Honestly, I don’t know. I have to be honest about that. I’m an emotional guy. To feel that level of hatred and disrespect, I wouldn’t want it for my worst enemy."
The scars of the incident are still prominent today as Xhaka revealed he recognises the same fans who jeered him three years ago. "Still to this day, if we have lost, I hate walking those last metres to the tunnel, because I still recognise the faces.
"The same people are sitting there. So now, I just keep my head down." Xhaka came incredibly close to calling time on his Arsenal career altogether but decided to stay after the appointment of current boss Mikel Arteta.
He has emerged as one of the most important players at the club under the Spaniard, but Xhaka stopped short of pretending everything was back to normal.
"My heart was telling me, You can't leave this football club like this. Mikel and I didn't speak about my future again, because after six months I was happy. Today I know I made the right decision, absolutely, because I'm still here but I can't pretend that my relationship with the fans will ever be the same, because that moment will always be in my heart. It's like broken glass, you know? You can piece it together, but the cracks will always be there. I would like us to have a better relationship. I would like us to understand each other better."
The midfielder went on to insist that despite the turbulent nature of his relationship with the supporters, his love for Arsenal has never wavered. Xhaka has little interest in changing the perception that surrounds him among those that occupy the Emirates terraces, but if he makes a few fans along the way then great.
For now, until the rest of his time in North London, Xhaka's focus is solely on contributing to on-pitch success for Arsenal and trying to restore the club to its former glories. Easier said than done, but as the Gunners fans well know, Xhaka is never one to shy away from a challenge.
