Arsenal: Footballers are people too

On Thursday, Arsenal stars Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac were attacked by two knife-wielding individuals. It is easy to forget, but footballers are people too.

The obsession of modern culture on fame and finance is such that being a celebrity is revered and celebrated to the extent that they often transform into other entities. No longer are they seen as normal human beings like you or me. They are now a new being entirely.

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For footballers, this very much the case. They are almost inhuman, such is their household nature. In essence, they are freaks. And it is very easy to forget that these are real people with real lives, the same worries and stresses as you and me, the same fears and failures, the same hopes and dreams. They are just people, after all.

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But every now and then, something will happen that makes us jump out of the ‘reality’ that these footballers are special in nature, and this week, this something involved two Arsenal players, Mesut Ozil — who is one of the most recognisable, famous and controversial footballers on the planet — and Sead Kolasinac.

The incident took place at 5 pm on Thursday on Platts Lane, near Golders Green in London. A video that circulated on social media later that evening showed two armed men with helmets attempting to carjack the vehicle that Kolasinac and Ozil were in. Both wielded knives.

Kolasinac bravely stepped out of the car and began to charge one of the men, as if to ward him away. The other then comes round the back of the vehicle, as if to swipe at the Bosnian, but Kolasinac turned to see him and he then ran away.

The club have said that both players are fine and unhurt, which is of course the most important thing here. But the whole ordeal, I believe, points to a larger, less-spoken-about aspect of the modern game: these are normal men and women with emotions and beliefs working in an extremely public light.

I am sure that Ozil and Kolasinac were scared at the time, despite the emboldened actions of Kolasinac. I am also sure that they are still processing the event in their minds, likely feeling some rather unusual emotions as a result, perhaps swinging from crippling fear to a surprising adrenalin rush.

Sometimes we speak about footballers as if they are robots. I know I am as guilty as any. We analyse their games as if there are no other factors involved in their lives. As if family life does not matter. Or their personal well-being has no effect. As if their mental and emotional states do not change.

But footballers are human, just like you and me. Sometimes, when we discuss them at length, it is worth remembering that.