Football

I cried in my room after Arsenal released me – it was the worst moment

Published

4 months ago

June 3, 2024

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I cried in my room after Arsenal released me – it was the worst moment

Eberechi Eze admitted that he cried in his room ‘for a solid week’ after he was released by Arsenal in 2011.

The 25-year-old may be on a career high after netting eleven goals and bagging four assists for Crystal Palace this season, but his career has also seen its fair share of lows. While he looks to be approaching the prime of his career in south London – after developing professionally through a four-year stint with QPR – he thought that his career may have been over at the age of 13 when he was released by Arsenal.

Greenwich-born Eze was a part of Arsenal’s youth academy in 2006, progressing and developing his game over the next five years before ultimately being released by the club. Speaking to The Independent in 2020, he said: “I was 13 [when I was released]. That was the worst one.

“I remember crying in my room for a solid week, my mum telling me that it’s going to be OK but not being able to get over it. Then I went to Fulham and I was finally starting to enjoy my football again. We played Arsenal a few months later but, when I went over to shake the academy manager’s hand, I started welling up. All the feelings came back.”

However, Eze was determined to make it as a professional footballer, citing how if it wasn’t with Arsenal, he would have to ‘find somewhere else’. Speaking on the Rising Ballers YouTube channel, he said: “My dream was to play for them so hearing them say no at 13 that was tough and I remember like training after I got released and I couldn’t focus.

“I was crying but I think that helped me so much in the other rejections because if I can get through Arsenal releasing me I can get through any other club releasing me. My mindset was if it was not going to be Arsenal I have to find somewhere else.”