Greatest 50 Players - 13. Kanu
Olympic Gold medal winner Kanu arrived
at Arsenal in 1999 already boasting an
impressive haul of accolades and
trophies. By the time he left North
London five years later, he had added
two Premier League titles and two FA
Cup medals.
But it wasn’t always plain-sailing for
the Nigerian striker.
In 1996, after leading his nation to
Olympic glory in Atlanta, Kanu
underwent a medical examination at
Inter Milan — he had moved to the
Italian giants from Dutch outfit Ajax
Amsterdam with whom he won the
Champions League — and the result
was harrowing. It was revealed that
the marksman was suffering a serious
heart defect, and in November of that
year Kanu had surgery to replace an
aortic valve.
Far from let the adversity get him
down, Kanu used his experience, and
already escalating fame in Africa, to
set up the Kanu Heart Foundation, an
organisation that helps predominantly
young people on the continent.
His philanthropic work is just an
example of his human touch. Kanu’s
touch was equally good on the football
pitch.
He joined the Gunners in the wake of
Nicolas Anelka’s departure to Real
Madrid and, at first, failed to woo the
crowd with his languid demeanour
around the pitch. Soon, though,
Kanu’s attributes became apparent
and the cheeky smile he carried with
him throughout won over the Highbury
faithful.
Kanu could operate both as a target
man or as a deep-sitting conductor of
play. He had the ability to bamboozle
defenders in the blink of an eye, using
superb close control to wriggle out of
tight spots. He was often the scorer
of great goals, too.
His delicious flick-of-the heel goal in
a 6-1 rout against Middlesbrough
springs straight to mind, as does the
time in a North London derby when he
scooped the ball over a despairing Luke
Young before emphatically burying the
ball beyond Ian Walker.
However the moment Kanu will best be
remembered for was the mesmeric
finale to a 17-minute hat-trick at
Stamford Bridge in 1999. Having
already notched twice to haul Arsenal
level with Chelsea, the Nigerian sealed
victory with one of the finest goals in
the history of the Premier League. He
won possession by the left by-line and
found himself faced with, first, an
out of position goalkeeper, then two
defenders and a narrowing angle. Ed
de Goey was slithered past with a
subtle shimmy before Kanu unleashed a
curling effort which arrowed into the
far top corner.
The points were Arsenal’s and a place
in the Club’s history was Kanu’s.....courtesy...www.arsenal.com *visit for more of arsenals 50 greatest players*
Olympic Gold medal winner Kanu arrived
at Arsenal in 1999 already boasting an
impressive haul of accolades and
trophies. By the time he left North
London five years later, he had added
two Premier League titles and two FA
Cup medals.
But it wasn’t always plain-sailing for
the Nigerian striker.
In 1996, after leading his nation to
Olympic glory in Atlanta, Kanu
underwent a medical examination at
Inter Milan — he had moved to the
Italian giants from Dutch outfit Ajax
Amsterdam with whom he won the
Champions League — and the result
was harrowing. It was revealed that
the marksman was suffering a serious
heart defect, and in November of that
year Kanu had surgery to replace an
aortic valve.
Far from let the adversity get him
down, Kanu used his experience, and
already escalating fame in Africa, to
set up the Kanu Heart Foundation, an
organisation that helps predominantly
young people on the continent.
His philanthropic work is just an
example of his human touch. Kanu’s
touch was equally good on the football
pitch.
He joined the Gunners in the wake of
Nicolas Anelka’s departure to Real
Madrid and, at first, failed to woo the
crowd with his languid demeanour
around the pitch. Soon, though,
Kanu’s attributes became apparent
and the cheeky smile he carried with
him throughout won over the Highbury
faithful.
Kanu could operate both as a target
man or as a deep-sitting conductor of
play. He had the ability to bamboozle
defenders in the blink of an eye, using
superb close control to wriggle out of
tight spots. He was often the scorer
of great goals, too.
His delicious flick-of-the heel goal in
a 6-1 rout against Middlesbrough
springs straight to mind, as does the
time in a North London derby when he
scooped the ball over a despairing Luke
Young before emphatically burying the
ball beyond Ian Walker.
However the moment Kanu will best be
remembered for was the mesmeric
finale to a 17-minute hat-trick at
Stamford Bridge in 1999. Having
already notched twice to haul Arsenal
level with Chelsea, the Nigerian sealed
victory with one of the finest goals in
the history of the Premier League. He
won possession by the left by-line and
found himself faced with, first, an
out of position goalkeeper, then two
defenders and a narrowing angle. Ed
de Goey was slithered past with a
subtle shimmy before Kanu unleashed a
curling effort which arrowed into the
far top corner.
The points were Arsenal’s and a place
in the Club’s history was Kanu’s.....courtesy...www.arsenal.com *visit for more of arsenals 50 greatest players*
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