During the glorious history of Arsenal, there were some great Brazilian footballers who played for Gunners, like Edu, Gilberto Silva or David Luiz. And then, there are players like Andre Santos. 33 appearances (most of them from bench) and 3 goals is all that will remain from him. That, and swearing at Arsene Wenger. And being arrested just one day before his Premier League debut. Santos came from Fenerbahce in 2011 and lasted only year and a half at North London before returning to his native Brazil. Song admits he left Arsenal to become a millionaireThe Gunners left back recently talked to the Brazilian media and remembered two funny episodes while in London. They are funny now, almost 10 years after, but at the time it was not funny at all.“That day, I was going to training and there was a motorway to Arsenal’s training centre. I was with Maserati and I thought: ‘I’m going to give it a go’. The police told me to stop and I didn’t see it. It was 70 mph [the speed limit]. I was at 125mph. Then, cutting, cutting, when I get close to the training centre, where there was a fork, I pulled over, two police cars closed me down and another arrived behind. They told me to get out of the car, I got out. Didn’t even speak English. I said I wasn’t a criminal and they searched me. The guys going to training, Giroud, Arteta: ‘what did you do?” I just wanted someone who spoke Portuguese to help me. Seu Jose, a Portuguese who worked at the training ground, who took care of the pitches, came and helped me. They arrested me, handcuffed me, put me inside the van. They said I needed someone to pick up the car and that I was going to the police station. I was arrested. One day before the Premier League’s first game. I’d be the starter. I stayed from 9 am to 7 pm” recalled Santos (via Diario do Fla).Toure’s hilarious two-foot tackle on Wenger, Henry and Bergkamp at his Arsenal trialSantos was not getting his playing time while at Arsenal, and surprisingly, he was not one of those players who was just happy to pick up his wages and sit on the bench. And when Wenger broke his promise, he just exploded.“I got hurt, fractured my ankle and he said he wouldn’t loan me. Fine. I came back, he said I was going to play. He left me six games straight on the bench. Me coming back, training. He said ‘no, you enter the game today’. In the sixth game I said: Professor, you said I was going to play, I stayed here, and you signed a left-back from the Spanish national team, and I won’t play. Then he said I’d play in the next game. I arrived in the locker room kicking everything: You said I was going to play, such and such. In English. In fact, when we’re nervous, we’re nervous, wanting to curse, we only curse in Portuguese. So much so that most Europeans only learn swear words in Portuguese. Then I talked to him. He had already closed the window for me to transfer to another team in Europe, Fenerbahce wanted to sign me again, he didn’t release me” Santos told Cartolouco.In the end, he got his wish and was loaned to Gremio in 2013, before switching to Flamengo on a permanent deal.
