This ex-striker was a teenager when he left PSG for Arsenal and has admitted to regrets over his subsequent transfer decisions
06:30, 30 May 2026
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger (r) and new signing Nicolas Anelka pictured before an FA Carling Premiership match between Arsenal and Wimbledon at Highbury
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Nicolas Anelka swapped PSG for Arsenal as a teenager(Image: Getty)
As Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain prepare to lock horns in the Champions League final on Saturday, it is likely to stir up a cocktail of emotions for Nicolas Anelka. The French striker, who represented both clubs during his formative years, has opened up about that defining chapter of his career.
The forward was already making his mark in the PSG first team during the '90s at 17, netting his first league goal before departing shortly afterwards to join Arsenal in the early stages of Arsene Wenger's reign as manager.
Frustrated by limited playing time in his homeland, the striker was convinced that a move abroad was the key to unlocking his potential. But, he spent just over two years at the club before Real Madrid came calling. The Premier League winner reflected candidly on those formative moves in the Netflix documentary 'Anelka: Misunderstood', confessing to a number of regrets.
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Much of that remorse stemmed from swapping the nurturing surroundings of Arsenal for the intense glare of the spotlight in Madrid following his £22m move. After bagging 17 league goals in what turned out to be his final Arsenal season, he managed a mere two in a solitary La Liga campaign before returning to PSG.
"I understood what it meant to be a star when I arrived at Real Madrid, and I hated it," Anelka said. "After being greeted at the airport by fans and journalists, I thought: 'What am I doing here? This is too hard.' It was the beginning of a nightmare. I felt a lot of pressure from the start.
Nicolas Anelka after signing for Real Madrid
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Anelka did not enjoy his time with Real Madrid(Image: Getty)
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"Every day in the Spanish press there was an article or a photo about me. I would have liked to score more, but I didn't have the chance, and I didn't measure up.
"Too many things happened. In part, I do regret it. Players always want to play for Real Madrid. There were too many sacrifices to make and I was too young to understand."
Looking back on his departure from the Gunners, he told the Sunday Mirror in a separate interview: "I can go over things in my head, but so many things were said, so many things left unsaid. But the relationship with Arsenal became difficult and just pushed me through the door.
"At the time I was accused of all sorts of things, a great deal that wasn't true. But that is in the past, and it's a past I'd rather leave behind than talk about."
French forward Nicolas Anelka of Paris-SG escapes with the ball in front of defender Jozo Matovac of Helsinborg (L) before scoring the first goal during the Champions League PSG vs Helsingborg first round second leg match at the Parc Des Princes in Paris 19 September 2000
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The French forward began his professional career in Paris(Image: Getty)
Despite the turbulence, the forward still forged a remarkable career, primarily in England's top flight. His tally of 125 goals places him amongst an elite group, with just 18 players having scored more in Premier League history, while he claimed a second championship with Chelsea, some 12 years after lifting his first in Arsenal red.
European glory, however, remained elusive. Anelka featured in Real Madrid's 2000 Champions League final triumph over Valencia in Paris, but endured heartbreak eight years later when his penalty miss contributed to Chelsea's shoot-out defeat against Manchester United in Moscow.
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Until last year, neither Arsenal nor PSG could lay claim to being European champions. Now, however, Anelka's second club are determined to stop his former employers from securing back-to-back titles, following their triumph over Inter Milan in 2025.
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