People often joke about how their amazing football ability was destroyed by a career-ending injury when they were not even that great to start with.
But this was literally the case with Abou Diaby – a special talent cruelly cursed with injury.
Arsenal have been crying out for a Patrick Vieira replacement for years but we genuinely had that with Diaby if injuries had not disrupted his progression.
Whisper it, but it is not crazy to even go as far as saying that he had a higher ceiling than the Invincibles captain.
The same lanky nature as his predecessor, Diaby’s presence on the pitch was undeniable due to his dominance.
It seemed like it only took him two strides to get from one side of the pitch to the other.
He had maximum faith by Arsene Wenger who would start him at every opportunity and the team would more often than not reap the rewards.
One game that Wenger started the Frenchman in that lives long in the memory of Arsenal fans was the Premier League match against Liverpool at Anfield during the 2012/2013 season.
The midfielder put on a clinic for the Gunners as he dominated every phase of play, he was simply untouchable that afternoon and man of the match in a game that Arsenal won 2-0.
That has been the only time the North London side has won at Anfield in the Premier League for the last 11 years, which makes the the Frenchman's performance ever-more impressive.
That wasn’t the only time he raised eyebrows at the Merseyside ground, as Arsenal supporters will also remember his wonder strike in the Champions League quarter-finals against the Reds in 2008.
It is hard to imagine just how great Diaby would have been for Arsenal if he didn’t suffer a mind-blowing total of 37 injuries.
But the fact his greatness can still be appreciated amongst the high number of injuries says a lot about just what an excellent player he was and what he could’ve been.
World Cup winner Paul Pogba hailed Abou Diaby and said this to French outlet Canal:
"Who is stronger than me in central midfield? [Andres] Iniesta, [Luka] Modric, [Toni] Kroos, [Kevin] De Bruyne, [David] Silva – even Abou Diaby," he said.
"He was exceptional at Arsenal. People forget about him but I learned a lot from him."
Quotes from magnificent footballers such as Pogba praising the former Arsenal midfielder just highlights what a talent he was and the how high the ceiling was.
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