Is Abou Diaby one of Arsenal’s biggest ‘what ifs’?
This will always be one of the biggest “what ifs” in football for me: what if Abou Diaby had never met Dan Smith?
Abou Diaby (R), player of English first division soccer team Arsenal, attends a news conference in Hong Kong July 28, 2012. Arsenal will play…
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Make no mistake, it was the Sunderland man’s reckless challenge, just four months after the Frenchman’s arrival in London in 2006, that ruined Abou Diaby’s career. Nothing else.
Well, Michael Essien helped too.
Diaby may have been widely labeled “injury prone”, but all of his problems stemmed from that first unnecessary tackle when he was still just a teenager who had the football world at his feet.
“It was about time, it was going to happen,” Diaby said in an interview with RMC when he finally gave up in 2019.
“For a number of years it has been difficult for me to come back. I have had several fitness trainers, at one point or another I had to ask myself the burning question.
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“And I decided to stop just because my body no longer wanted to keep up with what I wanted to do.
“Of course it’s hard, I’ve devoted almost my whole life to football. It’s true that when you stop like that, it’s as if a door closes. But another one also opens.
“I have taken the time to think about it seriously, it is a decision that has been carefully considered and I am comfortable with it.”
Diaby was always one of my favorites and the more injuries kept him from playing, the more my affection grew for him.
I was completely in favor of the club giving him contract after contract. After all, he was just a kid serving at Arsenal when he was paralyzed and the potential to become one of the best midfielders in the world was there for all to see.
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Speaking in 2017, Diaby said he could never thank Wenger enough for the support he gave him during his career.
“He is someone who is capable of understanding the personality of his players and who uses it to make them succeed. The players then feel good,” he told SFR Sport.
“The most important thing for me is that he believed in me. He was someone who understood me. He was someone who was extremely patient with me.
“Things started well but then I had injuries, problems, etc. But he was always there for me. I can never thank him enough for what he did for me.”
Joining Marseille after eventually being released by Arsenal, the midfielder made just five appearances in two seasons with the French club before being released there as well.
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Diaby spent time looking for a new club but failed to find one.
It’s now 20 years since Diaby made his debut for Arsenal in a 1-0 defeat to Everton.
Diaby signed for Arsenal on 16 January 2006 from Auxerre for a fee of £2 million.
During his two years at the French club, he only made 14 senior appearances in all competitions but, while training with the first team, he often played in the reserves.
During Diaby’s first half of the season in north London, he made 12 Premier League and two Champions League appearances, scoring and providing one assist.
He was an extremely promising player with a graceful, gazelle-like playing style; able to easily outrun other midfielders.
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However, tragedy struck on May 1 against Sunderland when a horrific ‘tackle’ from defender Dan Smith shattered Diaby’s ankle. Smith received a yellow card for his disgusting tackle on a player he couldn’t handle.
Diaby lived his entire life in pain and frustration.
Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images
After three surgeries and eight months of rehabilitation, Diaby returned to action in a League Cup match against Liverpool. He only played 16 minutes but Arsenal won 6-3.
Diaby scored his first goal for Arsenal on September 22, 2007 when we beat Derby 5-0.
In February 2008, the Frenchman suffered a thigh strain, which prevented him from playing for eight matches. Little did we know, this was just the beginning of a lifelong battle with injuries, which would ultimately lead to his dismissal.
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In August 2008, Diaby missed five days with a groin strain, then sprained his thigh again and missed 13 more games. The broken ankle had caused an imbalance in his body, which led to injuries elsewhere.
Diaby was injured 18 times at Arsenal, with the longest spell on the sidelines being 391 days due to a torn cruciate ligament.
Arsenal’s French midfielder Abou Diaby (centre) vies with Leyton Orient’s Republic of Ireland midfielder Stephen Dawson (left) during their fifth FA Cup…
Frustratingly, when fit he was a wonderful player to watch and a personal favorite of many at the Daily Cannon.
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Despite his long limbs, he made football look so easy and fluid – a typical Arsène Wenger player, which is probably why the manager encouraged him to stay for so long.
Hope.
In total, Abou Diaby made just 179 appearances (44 of them as a substitute) during his nine years in north London.
He scored 19 goals and created 16.
13 years after signing for Arsenal, at just 32 years old, Abou Diaby finally gave up.