Granit Xhaka insists he will never let online trolls drive him out of Arsenal after lifting the lid on the level of abuse he has received on social media.
Xhaka and his family have suffered abuse online over the past few years and it has led to the midfielder passionately speaking about the subject.
He has called for more to be done to combat the hatred, explaining his fears that the current level of abuse is becoming “normal”.
Xhaka, however, is also adamant that he won’t let online trolls hound him out of Arsenal while he still feels able to improve the team.
“I say always [to] myself, ‘The only one who can stop me is myself’,” Xhaka told an event hosted by the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust. “Of course, injuries and things like that stop you as well, but nobody can stop me, not the people outside.
“This is why in my head I am so strong. I say that always [to] myself as well, ‘I decide when I leave, nobody else, not the fans, not the people’.
“When I am not ready, I will leave. As long as I am ready and I feel good, and I feel I can help the team, I will be here. But because of the people? Because of a bad message? Because of the bad stuff they are doing, speaking and writing? No chance.
“The one thing is if you see the people face to face, they will never tell you something bad. This is what makes me upset.
“I have been in this ‘business’ since I was 17, nearly 13 years, but I have a feeling that the abuse at the moment looks like it’s normal.
People forget sometimes that the fans are so important for us.
“For me, it doesn’t help anybody and I think this is something we can improve on, a lot.”
Xhaka was a target for Roma last summer, but he ended up staying at Arsenal and has been a regular this season.
The Switzerland international has helped the Gunners climb to sixth in the Premier League and they are two points off Manchester United in fourth with three games in hand.
Arsenal head to Watford on Sunday and they are in high spirits after beating Wolves last week with a late winner.
“After six years of now being here, against Spurs [the atmosphere] is always amazing, but I think against Wolverhampton, after 70 minutes, it was in the top three since I have been here,” Xhaka added.
“The atmosphere was unbelievable and pushed us until the last moment. People forget sometimes that the fans are so important for us as well.”
