UPFROnT
FourFourTwo November 2020 15Nautico 0 Gremio 1
November 26, 2005 Serie B play-off
“This game is everything in my life. It’s known as the
‘Battle of Aflitos’ [referring to Nautico’s stadium] for
its insanity. It was my last match for Gremio, and we
were down to seven men with 10 minutes of normal
time remaining [after four late red cards resulted in
a 25-minute delay]. Nautico had missed one penalty
before that, then our goalkeeper saved another in the
15th minute of added time. The next minute, I broke
away and scored the winner that secured promotion
for Gremio! The club was going through a very tough
spell, and its future would have been quite uncertain
if we hadn’t gone up that day. I’d already agreed to
join Porto, so winning that game meant a lot to me.
I’m really glad to have contributed to the team that
gave everything to me, in such an epic way. I was 17
and that Serie B championship turned me into a man.
The ‘Battle of Aflitos’ will always be an eternal story
in Porto Alegre, my home city.”
Porto 3 Nacional 0
March 5, 2006 Primeira Liga
“To play my first match at the Estadio do Dragao was
unforgettable. It meant that I was fulfilling the dream
of playing European football, and even better, doing it
for a club where Deco – one the best players I’ve ever
seen – had been. I’d already played a few games for
Porto’s B team, but to come off the bench and step
onto a pitch where other great names like Vitor Baia
and Carlos Alberto had also worn that beautiful Porto
shirt was one of the most special days of my career.”
Porto 3 Benfica 2
October 28, 2006 Primeira Liga
“This game has to be remembered, if not for positive
reasons. We were 2-0 up after 20 minutes – Ricardo
Quaresma and I had been putting on a show, given
how well we were playing and how confident we felt
at that moment. Unfortunately, I was on the wrong
end of a sliding tackle from Kostas Katsouranis after
30 minutes and broke a leg. If it wasn’t for that injury,
which kept me out for five months, I’m sure I could
have had an even better career than the one I had.”
Man United 1 Chelsea 1 (6-5 pens)
May 21, 2008 Champions League final
“This was by far one of the happiest days of my life.
I was substituted on in the final minute of extra time
just to take a penalty in the shootout. I was 20, and
responsible for the kick straight after John Terry had
slipped and missed his chance to win the Champions
League for Chelsea. That penalty was my only touch,
because the referee blew for full-time seconds after
I came on. Can you imagine the pressure that was on
my shoulders? I got to the penalty spot and thought,
‘F**k, Petr Cech is massive’. Thankfully I scored, as did
Salomon Kalou and Ryan Giggs, but then Edwin van
der Sar saved from Nicolas Anelka. My first European
honour crowned a fantastic first season at United.”
Caio Carrieri
MERRY ARSEMAS!
Highbury may have been demolished 14
years ago, but it still lives on in Japan –
thanks to an Arsene Wenger superfan.
Kohei Ando was the man who arranged for
a ‘Merci Arsene’ tribute banner to be flown
over Huddersfield’s John Smith’s Stadium for
Wenger’s final game as Gunners manager in
2018, and also runs a bar in the Frenchman’s
honour in Tokyo’s bustling Shinjuku district.
Arsenal memorabilia adorns the walls – even
the bathroom is an Aladdin’s cave of club
paraphernalia, from shirts and scarves to
programmes and hundreds of ticket stubs.
Wenger had a spell in Japan himself with
Nagoya Grampus Eight, but it was in 2001
when a teenage Ando’s obsession began –
thanks to Arsenal’s purchase of national hero
Junichi Inamoto. Almost overnight, all of the
Gunners’ games appeared on Japanese TV,
regardless of Inamoto’s scant playing time.
Arsenal won the league that season, and
Ando was hooked. “Once I saw his speedy,
beautiful and spectacular football, I was
completely fascinated,” he tells FFT. “His
football changed my life. Watching Arsenal
at Highbury became my dream.”
That dream came true when he saw the
Gunners thrash Charlton in 2004 – although
he had to fork out £400 for his ticket thanks
to an unscrupulous tout outside the ground.
He went to matches home and away for six
months, before his tourist visa expired. Aftersaving up enough money in Japan, he returned
to England to do it all again in 2007-08.
He once waited more than 20 hours at an
airport to greet Wenger and even travelled to
Duttlenheim in France, where the gaffer grew
up, taking the time to meet some of Wenger’s
long-time friends.
Ando later launched his bar in Japan, which
also offers Arsenal-themed food – a portion of
fried chicken appears on the menu alongside
an image of Wenger photoshopped as Colonel
Sanders, with an AFC logo instead of KFC.
Another dish is called ‘Eat this up if you hate
Tottenham’. Emmanuel Eboue once dropped
by for a visit.
However, Ando’s biggest Wenger tribute is
arguably the beer he brews in the Frenchman’s
honour – the alcohol content is exactly 4.9 per
cent, an homage to the Invincibles’ 49-game
unbeaten run. The beer is called Arsemas Ale.
Arsemas? Ando explains, matter of factly,
that it denotes Wenger’s birthday, October 22- you know, in the same way that Christmas
denotes Christ’s birthday, obviously.
“The reason why I was so fascinated with
Arsene Wenger was not about his glorious
achievement at Arsenal, but his philosophy
and humanity,” he says. “Arsenal managed by
Arsene Wenger was the only hope and joy of
my life. Arsene Wenger was the creator. He
was an actual god for me.” Amen to that.
Frank Dalleres
Arsene Wenger’s birthday is celebrated in Japan – via beer