Arsenal recorded their biggest-ever away win on Sunday as they thrashed West Ham 6-0, and this overtook an opening-day demolition of Everton at Goodison Park in 2009.
Arsene Wenger’s side delivered a masterclass as they won 6-1 in Merseyside, and both Sunday’s victory and the one nearly 15 years ago saw long-range efforts scored by central midfielders.
Declan Rice returned to his old club in style as he powered in a stunning effort to make it 6-0, in a goal not too dissimilar from Brazilian midfielder Denilson’s strike at Goodison Park all those years ago, which opened the scoring in a huge victory.
However, the Englishman will hope for more success at the Emirates than Denilson managed. Although the former Sao Paulo starlet became a key player at one point, he never truly settled at Arsenal.
Now 35 and a free agent, Denilson has opened up on his time at the club, in an interview which was conducted with Arsenal Insider in partnership with Futbol Mundo.
Denilson opens up on settling in at Arsenal
Denilson arrived at the Emirates as an 18-year-old with little experience to his name, and joined a squad containing the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Tomas Rosicky.
He has now explained why Gilberto Silva and Wenger were both crucial to helping him settle.
“When I arrived in England, I felt a huge difference in coexistence,” he stated.
“At the time, I played with these guys in video games, Thierry Henry, Gilberto Silva, Ljunberg, Van Persie. When you arrive, at 18 years old, and come across these guys who made history, you say: ‘wow, look where I am.’
“For me it was very rewarding, I am very grateful to God and also to my father for helping me a lot as a professional.
“Wenger helped me a lot, he was a very important guy, as did Gilberto Silva too, because I went with my ex-agent, so it was just me and him, in cold weather that I had never experienced before,” he added.
“I had to adapt not only to the climate but also to the work that was totally different from Brazil, from the time when I was in São Paulo.
Denilson’s productive season at Arsenal
The 2008-09 season saw Denilson become a key player, and he actually featured more times than any other player in the campaign, with 51 appearances across all competitions.
However, he was dropped for Alex Song for both Champions League semi-final games against Manchester United, much to his surprise.
“Until then, I had been playing every game, many players even found it strange that I was absent from the starting 11 against Manchester (in the UCL semi-final),” he explained.
“But, before that, Wenger had called me and said that he was going to put (Alex) Song to play, because he felt Song was a little better than me in terms of physicality.
“As I had been playing a lot of games, the player usually feels a lot of fatigue and I also had back problems.
“It was his decision. I accepted it very well, but unfortunately, we didn’t make it to the final. But regardless, it was a great season.”
Denilson on Arsenal exit
The Brazilian has now explained the factors behind his exit in 2011, as he returned to Sao Paulo on an initial loan before joining permanently in 2013.
“No, it came more from the personal side, not the professional, because there was an interest in returning to Brazil.
“I had been on the team for a while and during the first two seasons everything was wonderful, everything was new. But, when that passes, that longing starts to hit.
He also highlighted how he could not acclimatise to life in England.
“I was alone. In England, two or three o’clock in the afternoon everything was already dark. When I wanted to go out, it was raining and cold,” Denilson revealed.
“When you’re living with someone it’s different, but that’s individual. At that time, when I spoke to Wenger, he asked me to calm down and be patient.
“Arsenal were even willing to loan me out. The Sevilla director came to my house to chat so I could stay for at least one season.”
Denilson on his Arsenal teammates
Denilson played alongside some world-class players during his time at Arsenal, which included Invincibles such as Gilberto, Kolo Toure and Sol Campbell. However, he has now named his most underrated former colleague.
“For me it’s (Alexander) Hleb, a guy who nobody payed much attention, but he helped the team a lot,” he claimed.
Some of his old teammates including Fabregas have now gone into coaching, but the midfielder has rejected the possibility of following suit.
“Not as a coach, but as a guy to help,” he replied when asked about a coaching career.
“Not as an agent either, but to get kids and try to give them a boost, to take them to clubs as an intermediary, a scout. Manager? I don’t have a heart for that.”
Denilson’s toughest opponent with Arsenal
The midfielder suffered several Champions League heartbreaks during his time at Arsenal, and a number came against Pep Guardiola’s Europe-conquering Barcelona sides.
Denilson has now claimed that Lionel Messi was the toughest opponent he faced during his time at the club, in a revelation which comes with little surprise given the Argentine once scored four in one game against the Gunners.
“Messi. Without a shadow of a doubt,” he replied when asked about his greatest opponent.
“In that game at Camp Nou, which they won 4-1 against us and he scored four goals, Wenger talked to us (me and Diaby) to be very careful, he said that Messi was from another planet.
“But, in that game there, I said: ‘we are going to win.’ 15 minutes into the game, the man seems to have turned into an extra-terrestrial! He did one, two, three, four. He ended the game. I have never experienced a situation like this at Camp Nou.”
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