One of Arsenal's greatest unsung heroes - Keown's tribute to Manninger
As a former player, I sometimes watch old TV footage and have no recollection of that game. With other moments, I can see a brief clip and I am taken right back to that time and place, and the memory is so vivid I can still feel it. That feeling hit me with full force after I heard Thursday's tragic news about my old friend and former Arsenal team-mate Alex Manninger , when I saw a video of us celebrating together on the pitch after we had beaten West Ham on penalties in an epic FA Cup replay in 1998.
I've posted it on social media and it shows me going over to give him a bear hug, but it is him who ends up lifting me off the ground. I can still feel the energy of that embrace to this day. I've spoken to some of my former Arsenal colleagues since Alex passed away and the news is still sinking in for all of us.
It's devastating to think that we have lost him at such a young age, and that I can never give him a hug again. Alex became part of the Arsenal family in the summer of 1997, when he had just turned 20. He was one of several new signings who joined us before Arsene Wenger's first full season in charge.
He arrived for pre-season training at the start of July, at the same time as Marc Overmars, Emmanuel Petit, Gilles Grimandi, Matthew Upson, Luis Boa Morte and Alberto Mendez. Christopher Wreh joined the following month. They were a mix of world stars and players that no-one had probably heard of, but when we went on to win the Double that season, all of them played their part.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger with his seven new signings at pre-season training in the summer of 1997. Back row, from left: Gilles Grimandi, Matthew Upson, Wenger, Marc Overmars and Emmanuel Petit. Front row, from left: Alberto Mendez, Alex Manninger and Luis Boa Morte With Alex in particular, the more I think about his contribution, the more incredible it was.