- Kanu joined Arsenal midway through the 1998/99 season
Nwankwo Kanu, a former Super Eagles forward, has confessed that his tenure at Arsenal during the 2003/04 season was impacted by his participation in the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations.
Kanu joined Arsenal midway through the 1998/99 season and quickly established himself as a prominent character, contributing greatly to the club’s success. As the Invincibles season came, he had a remarkable record, having won three major trophies for Arsenal and making over 150 first-team games.
In January and February of 2004, Kanu represented Nigeria at the 2004 AFCON finals in Tunisia, a tournament that would significantly impact the remainder of his Arsenal season.
The Super Eagles made it to the semi-final at the competition, losing to Tunisia on penalties and eventually claimed the bronze medal.
Upon his return to England, Kanu struggled for game time as Arsenal completed the historic Premier League invincible season.
Kanu had played in nine league matches before representing Nigeria at AFCON, but only played one more match in the EPL for the rest of the season upon his return.
“It was difficult, because in a squad of so many good players, when you lose your place, it’s hard to get it back,” Kanu said on the club’s official website, arsenal.com.
“Obviously Arsenal did very well while I was away, so it was hard for me to get into the team again after going away.
“Sometimes it worked the other way, when you go away sometimes, they need you back in the team or need to change things, but this season they didn’t need to change anything.”
Kanu concluded his Gunners career with 44 goals from 198 appearances in all competitions.