Amidst all the drama and action in Qatar, it is a player not participating in the tournament that has gotten Arsenal supporters talking.
The leaders in the Premier League have been preparing for the second half of the league with some friendlies in the form of the Dubai Super Cup against some high-profile opponents AC Milan and Lyon.
The London side ended the tournament as winners but that will matter little to Mikel Arteta and his players, with the warm weather training focusing more on fitness and tactics and less on results.
Gunners have one more friendly lined up before action starts in earnest in England, with them playing Juventus on Saturday.
In the build-up to the game, Holding, one of the Arsenal players that has featured heavily in Dubai, posted a picture of himself along with the caption “Gearing up for one more game in Dubai before returning to London” and a cold frost emoji.
Now, anyone who has been following Arsenal for more than one year would know of Rob. And one thing that would instantly stand out in this post for all those people is his glorious hairdo.
Holding was infamous for having a receding, even balding, hairline back in 2020.
Despite only being in his mid-20s, his hair had become a point of contention. But he has had a revival since after undergoing hair transplant process.
The ‘comeback’ was first reported in December 2021, when the player surprised us all with a fuller head of hair.
Well, he has gone and done one better this December, as photos of him donning luscious locks like prime Diego Forlan went viral yesterday.
But here’s the catch
While his ‘real hair’ is a thing of beauty now, it looks like some photoshop-savvy fan had gone ahead and made them look even better, with the image fooling many on Twitter.
While supporters were quick to point out that the image is fake, the point still stands. It is damn impressive what the player has managed to do.
The second picture is Photoshopped. This is the actual photo, but it is still very impressive. pic.twitter.com/rXONtAOktc
— Yasmin (@YTMannan) December 13, 2022
Holding has been a bit-part player for the Gunners this season, with the defender only playing in four league matches thus far.
He would be hoping that his season, and his Arsenal career, can undergo the same positive transformation that his hair has.
Also, can anyone point me towards Holding’s hair surgeon? Asking for a friend.