One of the most interesting aspects of the World Cup so far from an Arsenal perspective has been seeing players who previously featured for the club at youth level making an impact on the biggest stage.
Perhaps the most notable case is that of Folarin Balogun, with the striker having progressed through the ranks at the club before making his senior debut and eventually departing for Monaco in 2023.
During his time at Arsenal there was an intense debate regarding who Balogun would represent internationally – he initially played for England at youth level and was also eligible to play for Nigeria.
Ultimately, however, he elected to play for the USA and is now an important player for the co-hosts, as demonstrated by his brace against Paraguay.
Another former Arsenal attacking prospect has featured for the World Cup after switching his international allegiance.
Yassin Fortune joined Arsenal amidst much hype in 2015 as a France youth international before departing three years later.
Fortune showed glimpses of his ability and excellent technique at youth level during his time at Arsenal but injuries and inconsistency meant that he wasn’t able to make a first-team appearance for the club.
Now aged 27, Fortune is playing for Vizela in the Portuguese second tier. Last year he chose to represent Haiti and is now part of their World Cup squad – he featured in their opening group stage fixture against Scotland.
Another ex-Arsenal prospect has managed to get on the scoresheet at this summer’s tournament already in Omar Rekik.
The defender endured difficulties at Arsenal including a loan spell at Servette where he didn’t play because his temporary club forgot to register him for league matches.
Rekik left Arsenal by mutual consent and eventually joined Maribor.
After representing the Netherlands and Tunisia at international level, he chose to play for the latter nation and scored his first goal for his country against Sweden at the World Cup.
The stories of Balogun, Forutne and Rekik show that every player’s path is different and can include many ups and downs. It is heartening, though, to see them all featuring at the World Cup.
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Jeorge Bird is the author of www.arsenalyouth.wordpress.com Follow him on Twitter @jeorgebird