One iconic former Arsenal star has left himself out of a combined XI pick in favour of a Manchester City academy product.
Robert Pires is an Arsenal legend.
The Frenchman spent six years on the books with the North London club, between 2000 and 2006. In that time, the former winger made almost 300 appearances for the Gunners, scoring 87 goals.
He was a key figure in the famous Invincibles squad, who won the Premier League title in 2004 without losing a single match. In total, Pires won two Premier League titles and two FA Cups in his time as an Arsenal player.
He still keeps a close eye on goings on at the Emirates Stadium. Pires recently heaped praise on Mikel Arteta, and has voiced his admiration for former Arsenal teammate Edu, who is now the club’s sporting director.
Arsenal icon Robert Pires picks Jeremie Frimpong ahead of himself
In his playing days at Arsenal, Pires shared a dressing room with the likes of Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, and Patrick Vieira, amongst other greats, but was still able to often stand out on the pitch with his flair, trickery, graceful technique, and finishing ability.
However, despite these abilities and accolades, the 50-year-old recently left himself out of a combined XI made up of the Arsenal Invincibles squad and the current Bayer Leverkusen team who just won the Bundesliga after an undefeated season.
Speaking to John Nellis on Instagram, the 79-cap former France international was asked to choose between himself and Jeremie Frimpong when it came to who should take up one of the wide roles in this combined side. Pires chose the Bayer Leverkusen man.
Will Manchester City regret letting Jeremie Frimpong leave?
Frimpong has enjoyed a fine campaign with the German outfit. He has made 47 appearances for Xabi Alonso’s side this season, racking up 14 goals and 12 assists. The 23-year-old has just enjoyed his finest campaign of his career to date, and really looks to have taken his game to a whole new level.
The twice-capped Netherlands international joined the Manchester City academy at the age of nine, but never made a senior appearance for the Premier League club, before joining Celtic on a permanent deal in 2019.
Pep Guardiola may now regret having allowed Frimpong to depart the Etihad Stadium, as he has now proven himself capable of shining at the highest level. However, it was likely an act of modesty on Pires’ part, more than anything else, to include the dutchman in this combined team ahead of himself.