After seeing a 14-year journey back to north London culminate in signing his Arsenal contract, Ebere Eze revealed that a prayer from his mum all those years ago has finally been answered.
A boyhood Gooner, the England winger spent five years in our academy before being released aged 13, but ever since those teenage years he admits he never gave up hope that he would one day pull on our famous red and white shirt again.
That was a hope also held by his mother, and Ebere feels their faith, belief and hard work have paid off with his destiny finally being realised now he has completed his move from Crystal Palace.
Reflecting on his path back to us, Ebere said: “I remember the day I got released, my mum said a prayer that this reverse would happen. For me, this is a realisation of a prayer that we prayed for. This is deeper than anyone can understand. I can see God’s hand in it, so I know it’s meant to be.
“I still haven’t fully processed everything, I’m just floating right now. I’ll go home, go over everything, speak with people and then I’ll start to settle in. But, I know what this thing is, I know what it means, and I know where we’ve come from as a family.
“I can only thank God for the opportunity to be here, to be playing and to be recognised in this type of manner. For me, this is what I wanted to do. [The club] is in me, it’s part of me and I just feel so blessed. That just gives me more energy to keep pushing and keep working.”
The 27-year-old saw many legendary players strut their stuff in front of him as he cheered them on from the sidelines as a youngster, and now he has the chance to follow in their footsteps, he has opted to select the number 10 shirt worn by some of the biggest names in our history, such as Dennis Bergkamp.
He donned the same digits when representing Palace, as did a certain Ian Wright who made his own move from the Eagles to us at the same age as Ebere. The two are good friends, and Wrighty sat down to chat with him following the move, where he brought up the history of the shirt.
“I know what it means,” Ebere stated. “It’s a privilege and an honour, because I know the names that have worn this shirt before me. I see this opportunity as something that’s like a blessing, so just to be able to be here, I’m going to give everything I have to pay back this type of respect.
“I’ve walked out [at Emirates Stadium] before, but not as an Arsenal player. So to be on the other side, wearing the number 10… if you were to ask me where I want to be at this age, this is it.”
Watch the full chat between Ebere and Wrighty now by pressing play on the video above
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