Bellerín: leaving Arsenal is scary, it hurts

Héctor Bellerín is set for a special encounter: facing Arsenal this Wednesday in Dublin with Real Betis, the first time he has done so since leaving the London club. In an interview with The Guardian, the 31-year-old Spanish full-back does not hide the emotional difficulty of leaving the Emirates.

"When you leave a club like Arsenal, it's scary. It hurts," Bellerín acknowledges, having spent 13 years at the Gunners. Yet his affection for the institution and his teammates remains intact: "There are still players I grew up with: Bukayo Saka, Ben White, the manager, the coaches, the staff. For me they are still family".

Bellerín also expresses his joy at Arsenal's recent success. "It was like a liberation, a release after so long," he says about the club's Premier League triumph. The influence of Mikel Arteta, both as a former teammate and now as a coach, shapes his account: "80% of my football came through Mikel's mind".