According to a statement on Arsenal's official website, Aubameyang has been stripped of his armband, adding that he has been ruled out of Wednesday's Premier League match against West Ham. This is not the first time Aubameyang has violated Atta's "non-negotiable rule" – he was already sent off the bench for being late in the North London derby in March. After Aubameyang's expulsion, it was surprising that he was not the first Arsenal captain to win controversy or fall out of favor. In fact, in the club's more than a decade of history, none of Arsenal's captains have been able to achieve a good death or none of them have succeeded. Now, Arsenal's captain's armband is like a spell, waiting to bring bad luck to everyone who wears him.
WILLIAM GALLAS – After Henry left in August 2007, Wenger handed the armband to Gallas, and the problem began. It wasn't a decision that was popular with the fans and it was terrible in the dressing room. "We heard about his appointment in the newspapers and we all shook our heads," former Gunners main goalkeeper Lehmann wrote in his autobiography. Arsenal had a strong start to the season, but in february's match against Birmingham, Arsenal were tied 2-2 by their opponents' penalties in the last minute. Gallas, the captain, sat on the field and cried after losing the ball, and coupled with the bad relationship with the media, he was eventually stripped of his captainship by Wenger in November 2008. Lyman described him as just a "stuffy kid."
Fabregas – Wenger made an in-depth expedition to Fabregas when he was captain of Arsenal in Fabregas. The 21-year-old's captain reflects Arsene Wenger's commitment to Arsenal players, and in 2009/10, Fabregas contributed 15 goals and 13 assists in the Premier League and won the PFA Team of the Year. Unfortunately for Arsenal, Fabregas has become increasingly frustrated by years of lack of a title, and the Barca dream has finally triumphed over the Gunners dream. After the 2010 World Cup, he chose to leave the Gunners, thus giving fans the impression that he lacked loyalty to Arsenal. So far, he has been in the captain position for less than two years.
Robin Van Persie — Robin Van Persie's captainship is a similar story to Fabregas — and he left behind a more painful aftertaste. He set the best season of arsenal captainy in 2011/12, scoring 30 Premier League goals and winning the Premier League Player of the Year Award. But it soon became clear to him that he needed a championship team, leaving Arsenal with no choice. Subsequently, The decision to join Manchester United, as well as the issuance of an unwise statement, also caused outrage among fans.
Thomas Vermalen – The decision to appoint Vermalen as captain at the time seemed logical, but the Belgian eventually lost his place in the squad after winning the captain's armband in 2012/13, as Wenger preferred Mertesack and Koscielny's centre-back pairing. Vermalen remains the club's captain next season, but he has had a hard time getting back to his best and his efforts have not helped him place in the squad. He also joined Barca in 2014, while he made just 21 appearances as captain for the Gunners.
Mikel Arteta – Before he became coach, Arteta was also Arsenal's captain and helped Arsenal through a difficult period after coming to Arsenal from Everton in 2011. In August 2014, after Vermalen left, Arteta became captain, but he began to suffer from injuries. He made just 11 starts in 2014/15 due to a calf injury, and although he signed a one-year contract ahead of the following season, his health problems remained, leaving him with just two starts in all competitions of the season. As his last game with the Gunners, he still came off the bench before becoming a member of the Guardiola coaching staff. Little knew at the time that he would return in three years' time.
Pelle Mertesack — When Wenger chose to hand over the armband to Mertesack in the summer of 2016, Arsenal fans kept scratching their heads, even though he had begun to miss games with a serious knee injury. Previously, he was a fan darling and he has been a loyal devotee to the club, but his injury means he has only made 14 appearances in his two years as Arsenal captain.
Laurent Koscielny – Like Mertesack, Koscielny was appointed captain in August 2018 and was plagued by an injury, but he recovered at least in the second half of the season to help Emery's side reach the Europa League final, where he has been called a model for the team after years of playing for Arsenal. But when his transfer application was rejected in July 2019, he reacted angrily, refusing to play on the club's pre-season tour and eventually being forced to move to Bordeaux.
Xhaka – After a long delay, Emery confirmed Xhaka as Arsenal's new captain in September 2019, six weeks after the start of the new season. He won the votes of his players, but his status as captain was by far the worst. After being replaced in a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace in October of that year, he reacted angrily by stretching his ears to demonstrate to the fans who were shouting him, tearing off his jersey and falling to the ground. Less than two months after wearing the captain's armband, he was relieved of his duties.
AUBAMEYANG — Emery named Emery the new arsenal captain after removing Xhaka's armband, and Ateta decided to keep that status alive after taking over as manager a few weeks later. The decision seemed to pay off from the start, with Aubamiyan leading Arsenal to the FA Cup in August 2020 and scoring his 28th and 29th goals of the season in the final, but a few weeks later he signed a new long-term contract and his form began to decline. Last season, he scored just 15 goals, his lowest since 2010/11, and if he wasn't in form enough to worry about, the ensuing disciplinary problems were the last straw that crushed him.
Looking back at the bad experiences of these stars, it is not difficult to find that although the captain's armband is a bad luck for everyone, this doom is not brought about by the captain's armband, but caused by the turmoil and change of Arsenal in the past decade or so. Since the post-Arsene Wenger era, Arsenal have gradually fallen behind in the battle for four, so that they gradually fell into the battle for six or seven, and finally missed the European war. It is precisely because of the downturn in the team that every player suffers, and these captains are just one of many Arsenal players who have been consumed. Whoever it is, if the team doesn't rebuild, if it doesn't rise, then it will still end up being eaten back. And now Arsenal, no matter who wears the captain's armband, I am afraid that this curse will continue.