T
he tunnel can feel lonely. It’s a place
for reflection before a match, as you
tune out the clink of studs in the
darkness and rumble of expectation
from outside. It’s lonelier still if the
opponents you’re sharing it with are
arguably the greatest side of all time.
In February 2011, Barcelona were
the visitors in north London. Jack Wilshere
was just 19 years old, breathing deeply, but
already an Arsenal regular in a team full of
20-somethings. To his right, looking a little
more relaxed, were seven World Cup winners
in the opposition’s starting XI. That didn’t
even include Lionel Messi, Ballon d’Or holder
for the last two years, and who didn’t even
swing a glance at Wilshere. You’d forgive the
midfielder’s heart for racing a little quicker.IT’S BEEn A WHILE SInCE
I’VE EnJOYED FOOTBALL
THE LAST SIX MOnTHS
HAVE BEEn SO DIFFICULT
“I remember looking over at the likes of
Messi, Xavi and Iniesta – I was so nervous,”
Wilshere tells FourFourTwo, gazing into the
distance as he returns to that famous night.
“These were guys I’d seen win the Champions
League just two years earlier. They were the
best team in the world.”
That much was true, an understatement
even – but as Wilshere discovered, the very
best could be ruffled.
“There was a moment about 30 minutes in
where I made a tackle on Andres Iniesta,”
he recalls. “We were 1-0 down at the time
and the whole crowd lifted. It really brought
us back to life.”
Up to then, fear had seemed to squeeze all
10 of Wilshere’s team-mates too. Barça were
toying with the young Gunners and had takenJack Wilshere was once English football’s thrilling crown prince;
a Barça-beating force of nature facing inevitable stardom. Ten
years on, circumstances have sadly made for a harsher reality- but as he tells FFT, he’s nowhere near being written off yet...
Words Mark White
JACK
WILSHERE