Robert Pires was one of those quirky ‘who is he?’ Arsene Wenger signings that actually came off.
Signed for £6m for Marseille, Pires was integral to the successful Arsenal teams of the early to mid-2000s. His creativity, pace and an eye for a goal meant he was consistently selected for Wenger’s first XI during those forgotten glory years during which Arsenal actually won trophies.
Forget about that ridiculous bit of facial hair he always used to grow from his bottom lip to his chin, Pires used to strike fear into opposing full backs when they saw his name on the team sheet. The big question; has he still got it? Two seasons ago he signed for Aston Villa but his performances were nothing to write home about so the Frenchman decided to call it a day on a brilliant career.
So, as you’d expect, he has been enjoying his retirement by living a life of luxury and relaxation. And why not? After a successful time in football you wouldn’t blame the man for taking numerous holidays and forking out for expensive holidays because, after all, when you’re a footballer money is no object.
Holidays are involved, of course, and he has been to Greece most recently. Naturally, having spotted an amateur football match whilst out on a walk with his missus, ol’ Pires was inclined to stop and observe if there were any tekkers on display.
Thing is, though, when you’re Robert Pires you’re bound to be spotted if out and about. And so it proved when he was watching the game as one of the teams asked if he wanted to join in. Pires obliged and proved that he still has the tools needed to embarrass a full back.