Football rivalries have been a significant value to the game, which have fuelled emotions amongst the fans and players for decades, however, the recent London Fashion Week event displayed a different sight which baffled the social media.
Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min and Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka, representing the London club rivalry were pictured sitting together in the front row.
Social media erupted with mixed emotions after seeing Son and Saka sit side by side at the fashion event. Few were delighted with the respect the pair have for each other off the pitch and said their thoughts out loud that football was more than just rivalries.
But there were some who have been supporting their teams for a long time could not fully embrace this display of friendship, that too ahead of the North London derby which kicks off in less than a week from the event.
They voiced their displeasure, remembering the days when players would not have dared appear amicable with their rivals, and expressed their sadness about how the new generation of footballers do not have the same passion anymore.
A video released on the internet showed the pair looking uncomfortable when the photographers surrounded them.
They did not look at each other and Saka looked a bit nervous as well which must have made him realize that his sitting alongside the captain of the rivals would not play out well among supporters.
This recent show of unity between the two players also invited comparisons to the El Clásico days when the rivalry was so deep-rooted among the players and fans of both Spanish giant clubs that they would have never attempted to socialize with each other.
There was obvious tension witnessed between Son and Saka as well and the Tottenham captain was witnessed shifting away while sitting next to Saka in a video.
The internet used this video to make comparisons between their attitudes and postures highlighting the lack of confidence in Saka and Son appearing like his usual cool and calm self.
The former Manchester United captain Roy Keane usually holds a similar belief of rivalries not being respected enough by the players as he is fondly remembered for desire and aggression on the field, but also for his fierce rivalry with Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira.
Fans talked about how Keane and Vieira would have never agreed to be seen together ahead of a match against each other and that football rivalries will never be the same.
Football rivalries remain an important part of the desire that breeds inside fans, the lines of rivalry between players are becoming progressively blurred, as they often come together to play for their national teams and like to maintain those friendships off the pitch.
Image via Twitter
