A tribute to Arsenal's first Spanish superstar...
As our season had drawn to a close, I began to think about writing articles on some of our favourite individual invincibles and the impact they had at the Arsenal. Given the tragic news of the last 24 hours, it feels only right to begin with one man - Jose Antonio Reyes.
It seems crazy to think that in January 2004, with Henry, Bergkamp, Wiltord, Kanu, Pires and Ljungberg in the squad, Arsene Wenger decided to add more skill and speed to his forward line. A 20 year old winger called Jose Antonio Reyes was signed from Sevilla for a fee that could rise to £17.5 million.
The minute Reyes jogged onto a soaked Highbury against Manchester City, greeted to a welcome sign from the Clock End, you could tell he had something special. Any player that manages to link up with Thierry Henry must have something about them... However, while he showed some lovely touches and frightened the life out of defenders with his pace, the goals weren't quite coming as Arsene quite openly eased him in.
"I bought him in January because I thought he'd need 6 months to adapt, so he should be ready for next season to show how good a player he is" Wenger was quoted at the time. Although it didn't take until August, it took 7 games after he signed, in an FA Cup 5th round match at Highbury, against Chelsea.
With us 1-0 down to a Mutu (yeah him) goal and Thierry being rested, things looked rather bleak. Then, Edu picked out Jose Antonio Reyes, starting up front with Dennis Bergkamp. 25 yards from goal, he opened his body up onto his left foot and let fly with a strike that our French legend would have been proud of. It ended in the top corner. A few minutes later, he got in again and slotted the ball under the goalkeeper to leave us with a lovely image of John Terry falling into the net. John Motson, commentating for the BBC on the day summed it up beautifully - "well if Thierry Henry is the king of Highbury, there's a new prince now."
As the season began to finish, Reyes continued to show flashes of brilliance and scored two crucial goals in games away at Portsmouth and Fulham, in games where the title had already been wrapped up. But the importance of those goals in a 1-1 draw and 1-0 win respectively, was astronomical to securing immortality in the undefeated season.
Throughout the next two seasons, Jose continued to flourish as a crucial member of the Arsenal squad, whether it was out on the left, or up front with either Henry or Van Persie. He was instrumental in our run to the 2006 Champions League final, turning in a brilliant performance most notably in the 1-0 away win to Real Madrid.
Moves to Athletico Madrid, Sevilla and Benfica followed, as well as a short stint in China. But as the tragic news broke yesterday, it was Arsenal fans that can feel they saw the best of this supremely talented footballer, on his day one of the best in Europe in his position.
Rest in peace, Jose Antonio Reyes, number 9 of the Invincibles. And for that alone, you will go down in history.
@joehurd16
@joehurd16
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