The barely known Frenchman was just 17 and had 12 professional appearances to his name, so Arsène Wenger obviously went and signed him for £500,000. At the age of 18, he was thrown into the team with Arsenal legend Ian Wright injured and – naturally – shone.

The French teenager had electric pace rarely seen in English football at that time, and was more than a handful for defences. His second Premier League start saw him score the opener against Manchester United, and the 1997/98 season ended with Anelka scoring at Wembley to secure the double.

The following season took him even further, and 17 Premier League goals in 35 games made him Arsenal’s top goalscorer.

Shortly after turning 20, Anelka was turning his head. ‘Le Sulk’ was unfortunately managed by his brother and agent, who convinced him Real Madrid was the place to be. He only stayed there a year before being ferried all over Europe – I’m sure his agent made plenty, but the Frenchman never had the career his talent deserved.

Arsenal made a profit of nearly £22m on a kid who didn’t want to stay at the club, and used the money to build a state of the art training ground and sign Thierry Henry. Not a bad deal, but the number nine shirt was under a cloud.