Callum Wilson wants to set the Emirates alight like his idol Thierry Henry did when Bournemouth face Arsenal
Callum Wilson didn't get to play at the Emirates last year after a serious knee injury early last season kept him out of the Emirates clash which Arsenal won 2-0
CALLUM WILSON dreamt of being Thierry Henry and scoring goals in an Arsenal shirt when he was a kid.
Now he wants the Gunners legend to watch his goals on TV when he finally gets to play at the Emirates on Sunday.
That will be another marker on his comeback after a serious knee injury 14 months ago.
Pulling on his own Bournemouth shirt regularly is enough of a dream-come-true these days.
Wilson, 24, admitted: “Thierry Henry was always there when I grew up. He was a great player.
“The goal where he flicked it up and put it over Fabien Barthez — that was a great moment.
“But it was all his goals really and the way he played, the swagger he had. He was an idol for me — and I don’t know what I’d do if I ever got to
meet him! I remember last season our game was reviewed on Sky Sports and he was talking about me. It’s great to hear your idol praising you
like that.”
Wilson made a big impression in Bournemouth’s first Premier League season until disaster struck against Stoke in September last year and he
ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament.
But his long road to recovery was helped by cups of tea with Eddie Howe. And he recognises why his boss is often compared to Arsene Wenger.
The striker added: “You can see in their style of play and the way we play.
“We would love to be an Arsenal-type side, the way they pass the ball, it’s fluent football with an end product.
“The manager is good to work with on a day-to-day basis, he is not one to shout and scream at players but you have that respect for him.
“He is always trying to improve you as a player and times like when you are injured is when you see who is there for you.
“When I was injured the manager came round my house for a few hours and we had a conversation about life and football.
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“We had a good few cups of tea! We were just talking football and he was telling me to keep my head up and that I’d be back.
“When I got back in training he looked after me and filtered me back in and had no doubts about putting me back into the team.
“So I’m thankful for that — and for the opportunity joining Bournemouth in the first place.”
Wilson was speaking at The Bishop of Winchester Academy in a session organised by anti-racism campaigners Kick It Out.
There were tough questions from kids — but one of the easier answers came from being asked his favourite goal. That was the first of his three since returning from injury, against West Brom.
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He said: “It was always the case to get the first one out of the way.
“You get that confidence back and the love for the game. You sometimes forget what it feels like to score, you’ve been out for so long.
“It had been almost nine months but scoring breeds confidence and sets you off to score some more.”
His return to fitness at the tail end of last season prompted a bid from West Ham during the summer but Wilson’s sole ambition was to get back playing.
He said: “It wasn’t difficult to deal with as my focus was getting fit. And when I achieved that and the season had finished, that was the time to switch off from football as I’d put myself through such a hard time to get fit, I needed that time.
“I switched on to family and when I got back it was a case of making up for lost time, rather than thinking about anything else.”
Now Wilson gets the chance to play at the Emirates after missing out for previous club Coventry and last season with Howe’s men.
Wilson said: “I’ve been there as a player but always been injured, Coventry played them in the cups and I was injured every time.
“I travelled with the lads because in League One you don’t get to see those stadiums all the time. Now I’m finally playing there.”
Callum Wilson is a Next 20 ambassador for Kick It Out and was visiting The Bishop of Winchester Academy in Bournemouth.