Former Arsenal star Giovanni van Bronckhorst talks to FourFourTwo about his spell in north London
(Image credit: Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images)
Former Arsenal and Netherlands star Giovanni van Bronckhorst has opened up on the injury struggles he endured in north London and the impact it had on his game.
Van Bronckhorst signed for the Gunners in 2001 for £8million after a three-year stint at Rangers as a replacement for Barcelona-bound Emmanuel Petit, only for his debut season at Highbury to be wrecked by a cruciate knee ligament injury.
“I was signed by Arsene Wenger as a midfielder, but when I joined I wasn’t quite fit – I got injured at Rangers near the end of the 2000-01 season,” the Dutchman told FourFourTwo.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst alongside Dennis Bergkamp (Image credit: Getty Images)
“Initially the plan was actually to go to Chelsea. With Arsenal’s help, I trained by myself in southern France that summer and after several months I began to prove myself, but then I suffered a knee injury. It put me out for seven months. I received a Premier League medal, but it feels strange to be a champion when you’ve been out for so long.”
With Van Bronckhirst sidelined, Gilberto Silva was able to fill the gap left by Petit next to Patrick Vieira in the Arsenal midfield, which brought about a change of position for the Dutchman when he was fit again.
“Due to my injury, I wasn’t able to nail down a regular starting role there, and that’s a shame,” he continued. “I was originally brought in as a midfielder but mainly played as a full-back, partly because Gilberto Silva was signed for my position in midfield and immediately did really well.
"But I showed my qualities as a left-back and was therefore able to make the move to Barcelona. In 1999, I started at left-back for the Netherlands under Frank Rijkaard, and ultimately I had the best period of my whole career in that position. The knee injury opened a new door for me.”
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Van Bronckhorst would end his Arsenal career with Premier League and FA Cup winners’ medals after making 66 appearances in all competitions across two seasons, before his ‘dream’ move to Barcelona in 2003.
For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include tomes on Leeds United and the England national team.
