He wasn't exactly his biggest fan.
Granit Xhaka endured a difficult period at Arsenal, and only a few seasons ago it looked his time at the Emirates was due going to be short lived.
Following an incident where he threw his jersey to the ground and cupped his ears to the booing Arsenal supporters, it has taken a long time for the midfielder to regain the respect and trust of the fans.
However, his form in recent games has been brilliant, and at the weekend he scored the third goal in their 3-1 win over North London rivals, Tottenham.
https://twitter.com/ArtPatino/status/1338236111290679297
It's no secret that Arsenal legend Thierry Henry wasn't a fan of the Swiss star, and Patrice Evra famously told a story on Sky Sports which really underlined that.
Evra revealed that the former Gooner's captain sat down to watch his team play, but switched it off when he saw that Xhaka was the skipper.
Last night on CBS, the club's all time top goal scorer was asked what he thought of this current Arsenal side, and in particular their performance against Spurs at the weekend.
"I’m not surprised with the result because whenever they come to us, I don’t know what happens with them, but they don’t usually perform – one win in 29 visits, so it usually happens.
"But what I like with the Arsenal team right now is that it’s a different team. If you talk about something that’s important, it’s a different team.
"Gabriel Jesus is really changing, not only him. Saliba at the back allows them to play in a back four, so Mikel goes into what Pep does also with City with Zinchenko.
"Xhaka is playing way better. That’s what I was more impressed with than the result because that's what happens all the time.
"Competing and for me, I always say it’s not because it’s Arsenal or any different team, when you pass Boxing Day and Christmas, it’s going to be different because you have the World Cup, but when you pass January and you’re still up there, competing for the title, then you’re a title contender."
