Kanu had an unforgettable time at Arsenal, and he won a lot of hearts with his brilliance
Ted Lasso star Brendan Hunt has revealed that he decided to be an Arsenal fan after watching Super Eagles legend Kanu Nwankwo score a hat-trick against Chelsea in 1999.
Kanu had an unforgettable time at former Premier League champions Arsenal. In fact, he cemented his status as a cult hero during his five-year stay at the club.
The former Nigeria international had a number of iconic moments that led to his 44 goals and 32 assists in 196 appearances for the Gunners. However, one stands out.
On the 23rd of October 1999, it looked like Chelsea were cruising to a 2-0 win over Arsenal at Stamford Bridge thanks to goals from Andre Flo and Dan Petrescu.
The Gunners looked down and out, but Kanu had other ideas. With 15 minutes left to play, he got on the end of a pass from Marc Overmars and struck the ball into the net to make it 2-1.
After the goal, Arsenal gathered some momentum, and in the 83rd minute, Overmars turned provider again.
His cross met Kanu, who controlled the ball and fired a wicked shot past De Goey to level the scoring for the visitors.
Then Kanu produced some brilliant piece of skill, breezing past Chelsea players, and firing into the net. His goals ensured that Arsenal ran out 3-2 winners in that game, and that remains one of the most memorable moments for Arsenal.
For Hunt, that game was the deal breaker. The TV star admits that it was Kanu’s exploits that made him become an Arsenal fan.
In an interview on The Athletic, Hunt revealed that he was walking past a pub and, seeing there was a game on, poked his head inside. Chelsea were beating Arsenal 2-0 and there were 20 minutes to go.
“And in that 20 minutes, Kanu scored a hat-trick. A memorable hat-trick of incredible skill, with the third goal, in particular, seeming to be physically impossible.
“That was the inflection point and there’s been no turning back since.”
“I was afforded every opportunity in the world to be a Man U fan. Just instinctively, I felt: ‘No, that’s not my thing.”
Ted Lasso is an American sports comedy-drama television series developed by Jason Sudeikis, Bill Lawrence, Brendan Hunt and Joe Kelly.
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