Have Arsenal signed an Extra Terrestrial? « Untold Arsenal: Arsenal News, supporting the club, the players and the manager
NOTE: We have decided to put the referee review of our 50th game in our unbeaten run on the history site. As it is very much history of course. You can read it by clicking on this link
By Walter Broeckx
When I heard the news about Arsenal signing Santiago Cazorla or Santi Cazorla as he is mostly called I went out on a search on the internet.
Digging up the usual Youtube videos, checking website and statistics. And by doing that I stumbled upon something that made me think that even though we kept it a secret, but I thought Arsenal was the first team to sign an Extra Terrestrial player. Why? Well I checked out on Wikipedia and I found this written about him and I quote:
“Santiago “Santi” Cazorla González; born 13 December 1984; is a Spanish footballer who plays for Arsenal in the English Premier League. A versatile winger, he can play on either flank, as a result of being ambidextrous.
He is noted for his speed and capacity to change the rhythm of gameplay, and spent most of his professional career with Villareal.
Cazorla represented Spain at Euro 2008 and 2012, helping the national team win both tournaments. “
Now as most of you know English is not my mother language. And when I read this I really was amazed as I never had heard of the word “ambidextrous” before. I don’t think it is a word that is a standard word when you learn English. So at first it could mean that he came from Mars or Jupiter or whatever planet. It could mean he was from Krypton as far as I was concerned.
Over here on Untold we have rather a few intelligent supporters. Not that I want to think of myself as a highly intelligent specie of mankind. And after failing to know the word Ambidextrous I felt a bit stupid. But also a bit happy because I knew I would learn something new that day.
And so I clicked on the link and then I found the explanation: “Ambidexterity is the state of being equally adept in the use of both left and right appendages (such as the hands). It is one of the most famous varieties of cross-dominance. People that are naturally ambidextrous are rare, with only one out of one hundred people being naturally ambidextrous.[1] The degree of versatility with each hand is generally the qualitative factor in determining a person’s ambidexterity.”
So after all we didn’t sign an Extra Terrestrial. But wouldn’t that have been a cool thing to do? Arsenal being the first team to sign someone from Mars, Jupiter or Krypton. Would that be against any football law? Or would it be a racist thing to not being able to play a player from another planet? Even if it means having a keeper of 3 meter high and with 6 arms in goal? Well just imagine. Would be fun. Wenger finding an ET with his World Wide Scouting network changed in to a Planetarium wide Scouting network. Better stop now before people think I am completely crazy.
But getting back to Cazorla being ambidextrous. I have heard of right footed players who are rather comfortable with their left foot. And in a very rare occasion you have a left footed player who can use his right foot on occasions for more than using it to stand on it. But you rarely hear of a player who is ambidextrous.
And I have been looking at a numerous You tube videos about Cazorla and well he seems very comfortable with both feet and it looks amazing at times. I have seen him play the ball cross field with his left and right foot without being it any trouble at all. Because a left footed player who tries this is something that can work out but then you see that he has to focus in an unnatural way to do it. But Cazorla just has the ball in front of whatever foot it is in front and just kicks it with ease.
I have seen him take free kicks with his right foot and with his left foot and again it just is natural for him. So I really do think this will be a great asset for our game. And for free kicks as the keeper does not know which feet he will use when he starts running.
I was wondering if we ever have had a player who was ambidextrous before? And I really cannot come up with one other example. Now I must admit I only can speak about the last 6 or 7 years because before that all I had was the summary in MOTD. So if any of you know about us having such a player let me know. Or even another such player in the PL of today or in the old days. I really cannot remember any player who had this advantage and natural skill.
So will be even more fun on Sunday to not only see him make his debut but also to see the first ambidextrous player, playing for Arsenal. Unless you now will tell me some other names…