Portuguese forward Rui Fonte started his playing career at Arsenal but failed to cement himself at the north London club.
The 35-year-old spent this season at Paços Ferreira and in recent days has announced that’ll be his last club.
Monday’s edition of [O Jogo](https://ojogo.pt/) has published an interview with the attacker, where they reviewed his long career, starting from his spell at Arsenal.
Fonte left Sporting to join the English club’s academy as a youngster in 2006. He made one appearance for the Gunners’ senior team, which came in their League Cup win over Wigan Athletic in 2008 under Arsène Wenger’s orders.
Arsenal sent him on loan to Crystal Palace in 2009 and later that year, Fonte returned to Sporting. They let Fonte join Espanyol on loan in 2010 and the Spanish club made his stay permanent a year later.
As well as Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Espanyol and Lille, he had a spell at Fulham between 2017 and 2019. These are the clubs outside Portugal he represented during his playing career.
O Jogo asked Fonte to review his experienced abroad and he first talked about Arsenal.
_“My first trip took me to a huge club, Arsenal, when I was still very young. I went alone, which was a difficult decision for my parents. But they felt my determination and conviction,”_ he said.
_“I had to adapt, and I went to a host family. I experienced many things, watching Wenger and the stars who were there._
_“I trained three or four times with Henry and managed to fulfil my dream of playing for the first team in the cup against Wigan. The 15 minutes were a luxury, I even shot on goal!_
_“As a junior I was loaned to Crystal Palace and started to play very physical football. I was with tough players, I became a man and later realised what a privilege it was to represent Arsenal.”_
The newspaper asked the Portuguese attacler whether he got ‘chills’ when signing for Arsenal. He explained why he was determined to join the Premier League club.
_“Bergkamp had left, he was a youth idol who had impressed everyone with his class. Two years earlier they had won the league under the title of ‘Invincibles’,”_ Fonte explained.
_“I didn’t even know how much I was going to earn for Arsenal, especially since I only started earning when I turned 17 and signed a professional contract._
_“I wanted to play for Arsenal, that was the firm answer I gave after getting to know the facilities, the city and the people. They asked me if I wanted to take that step at 16. I told Wenger: let’s do it. That feeling was indescribable, given the club’s recent past.”_