Thank you, Tobin Heath
As quick as it had begun, it was done. Tobin has called time on her Arsenal career.
18 appearances, 3 goals, not a single 90 minutes completed. We never saw at her absolute best for The Arsenal. But there were glimpses — oh, there were glimpses. And they were wonderful. The goals against Hoffenheim, Leicester and, of course, Manchester City were the highlights, with the finish against City one that only a player of the highest calibre could pull off. There were dribbles, shimmies, shuffles and passes that you’d expect from Heath but, much like her time at the club, they never quite came off. But watching Heath’s dynamism in action made me happy.
That’s the essence of Tobin Heath. She’s always been a player for the highlight reel, a player the streets won’t forget, a player who makes the fans happy, a player who plays the game right way. As lifelong Arsenal fan, a proponent of Wengerball, and a world class talent — Heath deserved an opportunity to wear the famous red and white jersey and she made the most of her slim opportunities. That, too, makes me happy.
It’s sad that her Arsenal journey had to end this way, but in some ways it’s a fitting end. As with so many Arsenal cult heroes of the last decade — Ramsey, Rosický, Cazorla among them — it was injuries that ended their Arsenal careers. It’s sad but there’s some irony there. Players who play the beautiful game in the most beautiful way always seem to be the players who sacrifice their bodies the most, lay it all on the line to elevate the sport to an art form. At a club that prides itself on harmonious football, it was inevitably going to end this way for Heath. But for there to be an end there had to be a beginning, and the time in between the two made me happy.
I never got to see Tobin Heath play for Arsenal in person, but her presence at the club grabbed my attention in a way that football hadn’t for a long time. It inspired me to make my first trip to the Emirates Stadium to watch Arsenal, a trip gifted to me by a dear friend. Arsenal versus Barcelona in the Champions League. We got smashed. Tobin was injured, she didn’t play. It’ll forever be one of the happiest days of my life, and for that I partially have Tobin Heath to thank.
So, for playing the beautiful game, for doing it in The Arsenal Way, and for making me happy: Thank you, Tobin Heath.
