You ever thought of a footballer and a football club and instantly felt like they’d be a perfect match?
For instance, I always had this feeling that Raheem Sterling would one day end up at Arsenal. I’ve had this feeling since his Man City days.
Come 2024, that transfer actually happened!
The same with James Milner—despite his years in Manchester, Liverpool always felt like the kind of club for him.
Now, flip the script. Can you imagine Messi at Madrid or Ronaldo at Barcelona? No, you can’t. And there’s no real logic behind it.
Maybe Sterling’s skill set and London roots made Arsenal feel like his inevitable destination. Maybe Milner’s grit and passion always made Liverpool seem like the right fit for him.
But at the end of the day, these are just personal biases and intuitions. There’s no science or logic to it.
And maybe that’s why I never took to the internet to push my feelings onto others!
But that’s exactly what’s been trending on TikTok with Arsenal fans.
“Arsenal-type players who have never played for Arsenal.”
One user mentioned three players who they felt matched the Arsenal vibes: Alejandro Balde, Neymar, and Marmoush.
When the post was shared on X (formerly Twitter), many questioned why these three were chosen. Maybe it’s subconscious, like how I felt about Sterling and Milner. Or perhaps it’s because Arsenal’s identity is based on technical, possession-based football.
Marmoush, Balde, and Neymar do fit that mold to an extent.
But should these highly subjective, bias-driven hypothetical scenarios hold weight just because they’re trending on TikTok?
One user pointed out that Arsenal’s current play style is more about corner headers and set pieces rather than the expansive, beautiful football they claim to play.
Another argued that Marmoush is better suited to Liverpool’s style than Arsenal’s, and that Neymar is Ronaldinho’s regen while Balde is a La Masia product—none of them have any connection to Arsenal.
Lastly, one user put the nail in the coffin, arguing that Premier League fans need to stop acting like the world revolves around them, calling the league overhyped.
So, how do we make sense of all this?
In defense of Arsenal fans and this TikTok trend, we could say it’s just harmless fun.
It’s daydreaming, it’s hope, it’s football fandom.
There’s no logic or proof—it’s just, for the lack of a better word… vibes.
A City fan could have said the same about Balde, Neymar, and Marmoush, given that they and Arsenal share similar styles.
Hell, City actually went and bought Marmoush for real.
The reason Twitter has found the trend annoying is because it’s baseless. It’s just a bit of daydreaming and bias.
But ultimately, it’s harmless.
And that’s all it was from Arsenal fans.
