When Kai Havertz tapped home our second of the night in a five-star display against Sporting CP last month, it was more than just his latest goal in red - it was a major career milestone.
It was our German striker's 100th senior club goal since making his debut as a 17-year-old with Bayer Leverkusen, and to celebrate Kai has already made a start on his road to 200 by netting against West Ham United four days later.
Of that first century of strikes, 22 have come in our colours since joining us from Chelsea, including a run of scoring in seven successive home fixtures. With that in mind, it's strange to recall that it took Kai seven weeks to get off the mark for us, when he was handed the ball to take our second penalty of the afternoon against Bournemouth in September 2023. He duly obliged, netting his first in Arsenal red and he hasn’t looked back since.
Reflecting on his century of goals and his time in N5 so far, Kai believes that his goal at the Vitality Stadium was a huge confidence boost. “It helped me a lot,” Kai revealed. “It was very important to me because when you come to the club and they pay a lot of money for you, you’re under pressure a bit.
“I’m the kind of person that always needs some time to adapt, not only to the playing style on the pitch but also to all the people here. It took a while but I was confident that I could turn it around. I know from the outside, it always seemed a bit strange but I think on the inside, it was clear to me, personally, that my time was going to come.
“I just worked hard and believed in myself and I’m glad I had such good teammates that gave me this penalty, to get some confidence and the rest went quite well.”
Kai has netted many important goals in his career, including last-minute winners and strikes that sealed championships, including the crucial goal in the 2021 Champions League final.
However when selecting the most crucial goal from his first 100, Kai picked his first in professional football, when he netted against Wolfsburg as a 17-year-old. He said: "I think the most meaningful was my first goal that I scored when I was 17 because you work 13 years for that moment.
"To score your first senior goal is just something that I will never forget so if I had to choose, I would choose that one."
Kai Havertz's first goal for us was assisted by captain Martin Odegaard, who was fouled for the penalty and, along with Bukayo Saka, handed the ball to our German striker to take the spot kick.
Our skipper missed six weeks at the start of this season due to an ankle injury sustained on international duty. His return to the starting line-up against Chelsea was timely and has helped us return to form with a bang, winning three in a row in all competitions.
Kai knows the influence of our captain on and off the pitch and is delighted to see the Norwegian back in the starting line-up.
“He’s someone that speaks a lot to us in the dressing room," he said. "On the pitch, he’s someone who doesn’t only step up with words, he also steps up with good actions, with taking the ball on the pitch in bad situations and that’s very important to us.
“I think you feel when he’s on the pitch and when he’s not on the pitch. He gives us so many different things with the ball and without the ball. When we press the goalkeeper or the defenders, he’s the first who goes there, who sprints at them.
“I think we are all very happy that he’s back and that we have him on the pitch.”
Away from football, our stars choose a number of different ways to relax and unwind. For Kai, however, it’s all about his charity work and the love he shows for one particular animal, donkeys.
Adopting three when he was 18 was the start of something special for Kai, who launched his own charity in 2023 called Kai Havertz Stiftung, which is inspired by animal welfare and has expanded to youth development and elderly care too.
When speaking about his love of the animal, he said: “For me it’s just a different kind of recovery, when I go there I feel so calm, I feel relaxed.
“I just love to spend time there and for me, to see those animals just being there, enjoying their life without having a lot, just with grass and a little house, shows that you don’t need a lot in life to enjoy and I just like to spend time with them.
“They’re so calm and that’s why I love animals in general and that’s why I started my charity.”
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