Carlos Alcaraz could be one of the most exciting prospects in tennis, but the two-time Grand Slam winner has been quite vocal about his love for football.
It’s a well-known fact that Alvarez is an avid Real Madrid supporter and has often been captured in the stands of Santiago Bernabéu.
However, apparently, he also shares a similar allegiance in the Premier League and that is Arsenal.
Talking about Alcaraz, the Spanish tennis star claimed the US Open men’s title at the age of 19 last year when he defeated Casper Ruud in the final. He is also the third-youngest Wimbledon champion in the Open Era.
At just 20 years old, Alcaraz has already secured two Grand Slam victories and is seen as en route to becoming Rafael Nadal’s heir in the tennis world.
Carlos Alcaraz had an unforgettable 2023 with the Spanish player winning the Wimbledon men’s singles championship. He defeated Serbian star Novak Djokovic in the final to claim the grass-court championship.
With 2024 just around the corner, Carlos Alcaraz is currently in Spain training with rival Jannik Sinner to prepare for January’s Australian Open. However, amidst his preparations, Carlos was recently captured running on the football pitch rather than the badminton court.
According to Murcia journalist Germán R. Abril, Alcaraz participated in a holiday match at the Juan Carlos Ferrero Academy in Spain.
He was part of the student team that won the exhibition match. Flavio Cobolli, who previously came through the youth ranks at Serie A giants AS Roma, is understood to have scored the match-winning goal.
But what grabbed all the attention was Carlos’s attire.
The Spaniard opted to wear an Arsenal classic 1990s red-white retro shirt during the match. Moreover, the kit was imprinted on the back with the name of the Gunners’ legend, Dennis Bergkamp.
El tradicional partido navideño de la academia @EqueliteFerrero se lo ha llevado el equipo de los alumnos gracias a un gol de Flavio Cobolli, que pasó por las bases de la Roma. pic.twitter.com/6fj8cQF89G
— Germán R. Abril (@gerebit0) December 21, 2023
Bergkamp left Arsenal in 2006 after securing three Premier League titles and four FA Cup triumphs, registering 120 goals and 103 assists in a staggering 422 games.
It’s quite questionable how much the Spaniard has experienced Bergkamp playing in the red kit, as he was only three years old when the legendary player concluded his 11-year tenure at Arsenal.
But Arsenal fans were over the moon when they saw pictures of the tennis superstar donning the red kit was being circulated all over social media. They have taken to social media to appreciate the 20-year-old’s ball knowledge.
He knows ball
— Big billy (@abioladblogger) December 21, 2023
Apparently, the tennis star has gained a significant number of followers as a result.
Many Arsenal supporters, who had little to no prior knowledge about the Spaniard, have started to follow him now.
However, the best X.com comment goes to an user by the username @melanie_lautrup. She hilariously commented that “No wonder he couldn’t keep that No 1 ranking,”.
This is a clever poke at the fact that Arsenal lost the league title to Manchester City in the finals days of the season after being consistent league leaders for quite a time.
However, some eagle-eyed fans were quick to spot disparities in the Arsenal club emblem in his kit, interpreting the Bergkamp jersey to be a replica.
This opened gates for further comments in this issue and rather funny ones.
If the X.com comment section is to be believed, Arsenal supporters are quite ecstatic to welcome the new Gunner into their Arsenal family.
And rightfully so, who wouldn’t want to be associated with Arsenal at this point? They are currently leading the Premier League and have qualified for the UEFA Champions League round of 16 as group leaders. This is surely the best time to be a Gunners supporter.