[tps_header]Arsenal officially released Andrei Arshavin today. In the four years he spent in English football he was frequently involved in the sublime and the ridiculous. Here's a quick look at his most memorable moments. [/tps_header]
Arshavin introduced himself to English football with this sublime goal against Blackburn.
He quickly became more famous though for his off the field eccentricities. Such as his book 555 Questions and Answers on Women, Money, Politics and Football.
Arshavin has a degree in fashion design from an institute in St Petersburg. It shows too.
Despite the off field distractions, he was still in electric form, knocking in four goals at Anfield to mark the zenith of his Arsenal career.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uDUN07d96c
Undoubtedly, his greatest moments in England happened on the internet though. Arshavin.eu sealed his reputation as a genius and entertainer.
Not content with the bizarre written word, Andrei put his talents to singing. Here he is singing the theme tune to the Soviet cartoon Cheburashka.
These exploits started to have an effect on his performances and he barely featured in his last couple of seasons at Arsenal as he increasingly resembled a rotund seal squeezed into a pair of Packie Bonner shorts. Robin van Persie did not take it well when he came on.
He could still surprise though with individual moments of brilliance and he sauntered off the bench in 2011 to give Arsenal victory over Barcelona.
He briefly returned on loan to Zenit, where the only impact he made was on Vladimir Bystrov's stomach. In this video he is asked why he stood on his teammate's midriff. His answer? "He was play acting. I wanted him to stop."
It's rumoured that Arshavin will end up playing in Azerbaijan. Here he is in Baku earlier this year...
But wherever he ends up, Andrei Arshavin should be revered for his eccentric genius. He was a brilliant footballer in his spare time.
