Former Arsenal midfielder David Rocastle sadly passed away in March 2001 at 33-years-old. Rocastle, who made 228 appearances for the club suffered with non-Hodgkins lymphoma but his memory will live long in the hearts and minds of the Gunners faithful.
Described by everybody who knew him as a gentleman and as a top professional, Rocastle was a fantastic midfield player and the clubs Twitter account shared a clip of his sensational goal versus Middlesbrough in 1988 on Wednesday afternoon – here’s how the fans reacted to it.
We miss him. God rest his soul x
— Z (@HardnutHolding) November 20, 2019
Magic!!… Wot a player he was!
— DJ MDA. (@DJMDA2) November 20, 2019
The more I see clips of the guys, the more gutted I am I didn’t get to watch him play. Absolute baller!
— Qasim Akhtar (@qasimakhtar89) November 20, 2019
Classier still when you look at the state of the pitch.
— JohnMadrid (@jwmadrid) November 20, 2019
Was at this game! Rocky makes it into my all time Arsenal team, what a player!!!!
— Shaun Austin (@ShaunAu83547452) November 20, 2019
My hero as a kid ?
— Peter Hassan (@redworminator) November 20, 2019
What do we think?
Rocastle was a real fan favourite and a midfield dynamo way beyond his time. Despite his premature passing, the player’s spirit lives amongst the clubs supporters and you can regularly hear his name chanted within the stands of the Emirates Stadium even today. That famous old quote “remember who you are, what you are and who you represent” will forever be associated with the former England international and rightly so. A player who wore his heart on his sleeve and gave his all in the red and white of Arsenal.