'I cried in my room for a week' - Arsenal's new star opens up on crushing heartbreak that left him sobbing for a week

A dream has finally come true for English footballer Eberechi Eze, who was unveiled as Arsenal’s newest signing on Saturday. 

The 27-year-old midfielder’s journey has been marked by moments of deep disappointment, including a crushing setback at just 13 years old, a heartbreak that left him crying alone in his room for an entire week. Now, he’s back where he always wanted to be.

Eze made the switch from Crystal Palace to his boyhood club, Arsenal, after a standout season in which he played a pivotal role and scored the winning goal in Palace’s FA Cup final triumph over Manchester City. Despite his popularity at Selhurst Park, the pull of Arsenal, the club where his young dream began - was irresistible.

“I remember just crying in my room for a week. My mum was telling me that it would be okay, but I couldn’t get over the sadness and disappointment,” Eze recalled in a 2020 interview with The Independent via sportnieuws.nl. At age 13, Eze was released from Arsenal’s youth academy, where he had been since 2006. “That was the worst moment.”

After leaving Arsenal, Eze joined Fulham, where his love for the game was reignited. “That’s where I finally started enjoying football again,” he said. Yet, the pain lingered. “A few months later, we played against Arsenal, but when I went to shake the youth coach’s hand, the tears just started flowing. All the feelings of that rejection by Arsenal came back.”

Despite the heartbreak, Eze’s resilience never wavered. “I cried a lot during that period, but I think it helped me immensely with later rejections and disappointments,” he explained. “My thought was: if it’s not going to be Arsenal, I have to find something else.”

That determination paid off as Eze thrived at subsequent clubs, eventually joining Crystal Palace in 2020 from Queens Park Rangers for approximately €18 million. Now, Arsenal have secured his services in a blockbuster transfer reportedly worth around €78 million.

The Gunners are putting their new star to the test immediately, facing Leeds United in the Premier League on Saturday evening. Arsenal lead 2-0 at halftime, with Eze ready to write the next chapter of his inspiring story at the club he’s never stopped dreaming about.