Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka became the star of a viral moment ahead of Saturday's fixture against Arsenal at the Stadium of Light.
A video captured from the tunnel showed the teams preparing for the traditional pre-match handshake, with the Swiss midfielder leading the home side's formation. In a heartwarming twist, he briefly greeted his former teammates before almost seamlessly blending into the ranks of the Arsenal players.
Xhaka spent seven seasons at Arsenal from 2016 to 2023, joining from Borussia Monchengladbach. During his time in London, he rose to captaincy and clinched two FA Cups. His tenure was not without its challenges; in October 2019, he faced a significant fallout with the fans after a heated incident where he reacted angrily to boos during a substitution against Crystal Palace. Fortunately, Mikel Arteta stepped in, restructured Xhaka's role, and the player himself noted that this rejuvenated his career.
In the summer of 2023, Xhaka made a switch to Bayer Leverkusen, where he surprisingly lifted the Bundesliga title under the management of Xabi Alonso before moving to Sunderland, who had just returned to the Premier League, in 2025. As captain, he has guided the team to an impressive 7th place finish, securing a Europa League spot.
Saturday’s match was an emotional reunion for him, although the reigning champions Arsenal maintained their perfect record with a 2-0 victory. Xhaka played the full 90 minutes, taking set pieces, receiving a yellow card, and whipping in dangerous crosses, but he was unable to breach the Arsenal defence. Just days prior, he spoke fondly of Arteta and drew parallels between the current host manager Regis Le Bris and the legendary Arsene Wenger.
This amusing incident before kick-off ignited a wave of nostalgia among Gunners fans, with slogans like ‘once a Gunner, always a Gunner’ serving as a poignant reminder that a piece of Xhaka's heart remains firmly with his former club.
