'My love for Arsenal made me reject Tottenham transfer – signing for them would be treason'A footballing legend admitted his love of Arsenal stopped him from signing for their biggest rivalView 2 Images Alessandro Costacurta admitted he's a lifelong Arsenal supporter (Image: LFC Foundation)Moving to a rival club is something that traditionally doesn't sit well with supporters in football, and understandably so. For legendary AC Milan defender Alessandro Costacurta, it was his affection for Arsenal that prevented him from putting pen to paper on a deal to join Tottenham Hotspur. The truth is that I've been a keen Arsenal fan since my childhood, and playing for 'our' bitter rivals would have been high treason. All my friends were Manchester United or Liverpool fans, so I picked Arsenal and I've never changed my mind." The fierce north London foes go head-to-head at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday afternoon for the second derby meeting of the campaign.

Source: Daily Mirror February 22, 2026 13:33 UTC