Arsenal forward Gervinho has revealed that his family stopped him from playing football when he was a young child, arsenal.com reports.
The Ivorian has been one of the standout performers for Arsene Wenger so far this season and has earned plaudits from the media and the Gunners fans. Gervinho joined the prestigious Jean-Marc Guillou academy in his home town when he was a youngster and that set him on the road to stardom. However, Gervinho’s parents had tried to stop him playing football.
Gervinho said: ‘I don’t know what I would have done had I not become a footballer. I’ve always wanted to do that, even when my family would try to stop me playing football so I went to school. They wanted me to go to a normal school. They felt it was a bit risky as the academy was new and not really known. I had to bring someone who had faith in my skills to convince them.’
Signed from Lille in the summer for £10.6m, the Ivorian has become a regular for Arsenal and has shown his parents that playing at the academy was worth it. Gervinho is expected to start the weekend’s fixture when the Gunners entertain Everton at the Emirates Stadium.
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