Goodbye Eduardo

By Aashish Siwan

 

Eduardo has signed for Ukrainian champions Shakhtar Donetsk for an undisclosed fee (which is rumoured to be in the region of £6m). Not since the departure of Vieira have I been so sad to see a Gunner leave the mighty Reds.

 

Eduardo’s decision to leave the Emirates for the Donbass Arena is totally understandable as he had fallen down the pecking order in the central forwards list since the signing of Marouane Chamakh and needed regular game time to build up his fitness, match sharpness and confidence to revive his faltering career. With game time not guaranteed, Eduardo has opted to leave Arsenal for a fresh start.

 

Last season Eduardo was deployed more often in the left forward spot then his preferred central role and seemed a shadow of the man who scored 12 goals from 22 starts in his first season with Arsenal. One can only wonder what sort of an impact the Brazil born Croatian would have had for Arsenal had he not suffered that horrific injury at St. Andrews in 2008. Eduardo showed great mental fortitude, character, determination and courage to make his comeback where many had predicted that he may fail. Months of rehab and physio sessions later, he made a successful comeback and even scored a brace in his first game back against Hull. The 27 year old Croatian international signed from Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb in July 2007 and made 67 appearances and scored 20 goals in all competitions, the most memorable of his goals being this marvellous effort against Burnley in the F. A. Cup.

 

I am sure everyone associated with Arsenal Football Club will wish Eduardo well and I personally hope that the Ukrainian Premier League and the Ukrainian media treats him well (as the Daily Mail still does not get it) and Eduardo sets the Ukrainian League and all other competitions alight with brilliant performances.

Doviđenja and sve najbolje Eduardo. I am sorry you had the worst possible experience indirectly through the best club in the world. It’s the price we pay for the beautiful football we play.

Eduardo’s first ten goals for the club: