Former Arsenal flop reveals ‘unbelievable’ thing fans did for him recently

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Yaya Sanogo never succeeded at Arsenal, but he did play an important part in the iconic 2014 FA Cup final victory.

The French striker, who had joined from Auxerre in the previous summer window, scored just one goal in 20 appearances for the club, but that came in a Champions League victory over Borussia Dortmund.

He was a substitute in the 2014 FA Cup final which saw Arsenal come back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 against Hull City and end a nine-year trophy drought. Mikel Arteta was the captain on the day, with goals from Santi Cazorla, Laurent Koscielny and Aaron Ramsey securing a famous victory.

Sanogo came on and his presence alongside Olivier Giroud upfront helped create space for Ramsey to poke home the winning goal, and despite being an overall flop at Arsenal, he is fondly remembered for this moment alone.

Yaya Sanogo praises Arsenal fans

Over 10 years since his arrival, Sanogo is now 30 and playing for FC Urartu in Armenia. He returned to the Emirates last season, and has now told the BBC how amazed he was that people recognised him.

“I didn’t play a lot of games at Arsenal, I played maybe 25 games in three years or something or 30 games maximum,” he stated.

“But the impact I had on the final, I didn’t really realise this impact, because the fans when they saw me at the stadium go ‘oh Sanogo is here,’ and for 7 years I thought nobody will recognise me and the fans gave me some love.

“‘We want the FA cup final because when you came on the pitch, the impact you had made the difference and that’s why we we won that FA Cup.’

“I came very young to Arsenal, very shy, so to have this feeling is unbelievable.”

Sanogo’s promise at Arsenal

Sanogo’s arrival was that of a young wonderkid who looked promising in France, but Arsenal’s failure to sign a striker in that summer window meant pressure was raised on the Frenchman.

His second start for the club came after a long-term injury, against Bayern Munich in the Champions League knockouts, and he performed superbly in the early stages of the game.

His work-rate meant that when he came on in the FA Cup final, he initially made space for Giroud to assist Ramsey, and his overall impact on the game was positive.

He showed signs of becoming a clinical forward when he scored four in one game against Benfica in the pre-season that followed, and his only goal for the club also came in the Champions League, but it never quite worked out for him beyond that.

Nevertheless, Arsenal fans have recognised the contribution he made as a youngster in the FA Cup final, and Sanogo is clearly grateful for the support after all these years.