Arsenal FC has one of the most prominent fanbases on social media and with that, the London outfit and its players find themselves in both good and bad positions.
When it comes to supporting their player from getting trolled by other fans on Twitter, there isn’t any fanbase as swift and active as Gooners, who also have shown a tremendous level of support – both on social media platforms and in the stadium at the Emirates – to help Mikel Arteta’s men march forward. But the huge number of eyeballs also means there’s a little secret in the Arsenal circle.
From tracking every movement, including flight details of their transfer targets and their agents to keeping note of everything their favourite stars are doing – even when they aren’t representing the prestigious club.
This time, Arsenal fans have unearthed a video, understood to be from a few years old, featuring William Saliba. The French centre-back is seen standing in the background, with Algerian-French rapper and singer L’Algérino performing his song Va Bene.
Saliba, who always looks comfortable on the pitch – no matter who he’s up against, appears out of place in this video, standing silently behind L’Algérino. The 22-year-old isn’t even nodding to the music, let alone giving a freestyle cameo of his own during the 20-second clip.
The video is most probably before the former AS Saint-Étienne talent became an Arsenal player, but has resurfaced this summer, and best believe it won’t go anywhere now. Rival fans are going to make the most of this whenever Saliba drops any anonymous performance in the future. That’s how Football Twitter works these days!
Twitter user AFC Connoiseur made the same observation and was happy Saliba wasn’t singing.
Other users also noticed that Saliba wasn’t having the best of times during the L’Algérino performance, with one going as far as using a hilarious metaphor of a Polar Bear in Texas to make the point.
But Not everyone was underwhelmed by Saliba’s cameo. The dynamic centre-back is already a fan favourite at the Emirates, and his appearance in a ‘French Westwood Crib’ session only raised his stocks in some circles.
One fan was just happy that Saliba showed his appreciation for ‘Skyrock’ – a French radio station based in Paris dedicated to mainstream rap music and R&B.
Twitter user and Arsenal season ticket holder Mark Jones once again highlighted the detective skills of the fan base by sharing a screenshot of Declan Rice signing. The picture comes from the England midfielder singing a rendition of Vanilla Ice’s “Ice, Ice baby” by slightly alerting the lyrics to “Rice, Rice, Baby” on the British TV show A League of Their Own.
With Rice closing in on a move to Arsenal, Mikel Arteta’s dressing room is going to have a number of music admirers next season.
Jokes aside, we football fans must remember our favourite players have different interests, and as long as they aren’t having any negative impact on their performances, we should let them enjoy their lives outside of the pitch without any fear of being mocked.
As far as this summer is concerned, Saliba is enjoying his holidays in Mykonos-Greece. To get back into shape for the upcoming season the 22-year-old would need to hit the gym if he’s not in one already.