The youngster Hector Bellerin may have only been in the Arsenal starting line-up for less than two seasons, but he has already become a firm favourite with the Emirates faithful so much so that he was voted in Third Place in the Arsenal Player-of-the-Season behind veteran superstars Mesut Ozil and Petr Cech. He was also given the honour of being named in the Premiership Team of the Year, which is no mean feat for one so young.
He is obviously relishing his football since bursting on the scene in place of the injured Mathieu Debuchy – and has now matured beyond his years. Having been plucked from the Barcelona youth setup like Cesc Fabregas all those years ago, Arsenal fans have always harboured the fear that he will want to return to his homeland in the future, but Hector himself has again made it clear that he intends to be a Gunner for the whole of his career. “I say every year that England is my home now,” the defender told Goal.
“I’ve lived there for many years; my family and my girlfriend are there. I’m very happy there so I don’t see myself anywhere other than Arsenal.
“I’m very happy [about being in the team of the year] because it’s chosen by players and coaches.
“They’re people who know a lot about football and the fact that they have chosen me as the best right-back of the season makes me very proud.”
“But I have to thank my team-mates for making things so much easier!”
As I mentioned the fans live in fear of him being tapped up by his old club, especially when surrounded by their players on national duty, but he revealed that he buried that demon when he played for the Gunners in Barcelona this season. “How did it feel to play against Barca? For me, Barca was where I grew up since I was tiny, from eight years old,” he concluded.
“My dream when I was at Barca was to play at Camp Nou and I did – just not wearing the shirt I’d expected when I was little. ”
Hector has also (along with Iwobi this season) given Arsene Wenger a boost in his policy of bringing in talented youngsters and teaching them The Arsenal Way from an early age. Don’t expect Wenger to change that policy anytime soon….