When Nacho Monreal signed for Arsenal in 2013 he was brought in early due to a defensive injury crisis but the man known as ‘Cabra’ as a kid made himself a real cult hero with the Arsenal fans.

Arsenal's British striker Danny Welbeck celebrates after scoring a goal during the UEFA Europa League quarter-final second leg football match between CSKA Moscow and Arsenal at VEB Arena stadium in Moscow on April 12, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Alexander NEMENOV
Arsenal’s British striker Danny Welbeck celebrates after scoring a goal during the UEFA Europa League quarter-final second leg football match between CSKA Moscow and Arsenal at VEB Arena stadium in Moscow on April 12, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Alexander NEMENOV

251 appearances, 10 goals, 20 assists, three FA Cups.

That was Nacho at Arsenal.

Arriving in 2013 from Malaga for £9m, Monreal stayed with Arsenal for six years before he was sold to Real Sociedad at the end of the 2019 summer window for just £225k.

While at Arsenal, the defender spoke to the Arsenal matchday programme about a number of events from his life when he was just 10, revealing that he was known as ‘Cabra’ or, to put it in English, ‘Goat’.

When asked what he was called when he was 10, Nacho replied, “‘Cabra’ – it means goat. But don’t ask me why!”

He was also asked what ‘Arsenal’ meant to him when he had just reached double-digits, and he said, “I knew that Arsenal was one of the biggest and best clubs in the world, but at the time I focused more on the Spanish leagues.”

The urban dictionary states that ‘goat’ is slang for ‘Greatest of all time’. Let’s go with that.

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