"I think it was the first time I've actually been singled out," Ben White explained in the aftermath of a verbal dressing down courtesy of punditry duo Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher.
"It's never a nice feeling but it just gives me more incentive to go out there and do well."
He's done that and then some.
The analysis from the Sky Sports pair has become infamous among the Arsenal fanbase, who are fiercely protective of their own and now quick to poke fun at it given White's stunning rise.
Neville and Carragher's comments came after his first outing in a Gunners shirt, which came in the form of a 2-0 defeat by Brentford on the opening night of last season. White did not have his best performance by any means, which led to widespread ridicule over the £50million fee Arsenal forked out to Brighton for him.
The England international was questioned by just about everyone, with many claiming they had not seen anything from White in a Seagulls shirt to suggest he was worth such a figure. It was clear they hadn't seen his performances the year before while on loan at Leeds.
Arsenal welcome Javi Gracia's side to the Emirates this Saturday, while sitting eight points clear at the top of the table with 10 games left to play. Anything less than a win for Mikel Arteta's men win at this stage is deemed a disaster, which means White will have to put any friendship and sentiment to the side.
However, it is important to analyse just how pivotal his season at Elland Road was to the shaping of his career. White is a technician, his supreme on the ball quality makes up for what he lacks in physical presence. He's certainly not small, but the 'rough and tumble' aspect of defending is not where he excels.
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In turn, White has faced accusations of being 'too soft' for both the Championship and the Premier League. Leeds sporting director Victor Orta said as much, while also explaining how the former Elland Road loanee had a big-name admirer during another loan spell at Newport County.
"Ben White. He was the best player this year [in the Championship], if not best, top five. For me the best. Now he’s in the England squad," Orta told The Phil Hay Show in 2021. "Ben White doesn’t play one game in the Championship before.
"The loan at Newport was really good and when we start to monitor because we were watching, to be honest, I feel impressed. I remember in the first moment Sergio Ramos said, ‘who is this kid? playing in the line of Newport’. And was really impressed.
"Even at Brighton [people said], 'he’s soft, he cannot play in the Championship', but we think the skills he has fit for us, in terms of distribution, quick – all the style of our special centre-backs."
Orta's assessment was correct, White played in all 46 games the season Leeds earned their promotion back to the top flight. His ability to pick the ball up at the heart of the backline and carry it into the opposition third became somewhat of a trademark and is something Arsenal fans saw plenty of last season.
White's loan spell at Leeds ended, but the affection between both parties remains strong to date. Upon his unveiling as an Arsenal player, the defender was asked where his favourite ground was, to which he replied Elland Road, as it was his first experience of a 'full and lively stadium'.
Before his move to the Gunners, Leeds fans started to get the hashtag '#FreeBenWhite' trending on twitter as what was then Marcelo Bielsa's side tried to sign him on a permanent basis.
It was clear White wanted to join the year prior, when Leeds had two offers rejected by Brighton. His agent Alex Levack even went as far as to publicly admit his client was "disappointed" the move to Elland Road failed to go through.
The bright lights of the Emirates were too enticing and White opted for London over Yorkshire, but before he meets his old side again on Saturday, it is worth recognising the level he has been operating at this term.
Having spent last season as a centre-back, White has shown incredible versatility to excel as a right-back and formed a relationship with Bukayo Saka down that flank that helps provide Arsenal with their biggest threat.
The 25-year-old also boasts something that few others in the Gunners squad do and that is title winning know-how at the business end of the season.
White seemed to thrive on the pressure that Leeds were under to end their Premier League hiatus, he'll have to showcase similar mental strength to get the Gunners over the line come the end of May, starting with Saturday.
