Lauren reveals the secret of North London derby success: "It was my English teacher..."
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Reading Time: 2min | Fri. 22.09.23. | 17:31
The former Cameroon international enjoyed six victories against Tottenham during his Arsenal tenure
We're heading towards another North London derby, and what better way to raise the temperature between the neighbours than with some charming story from the past.
African, by any chance...
And the hero of this story is one of the best African defenders of the 21st century, former Arsenal and Cameroon right-back Lauren Bisan-Etame.
Lauren, 46, played for Arsenal between 2000 and 2007, celebrating six victories against the Spurs during that period.
What a player @Lauren12arsenal was for The Arsenal 🔴⚪pic.twitter.com/8hldBMpIzR
— Gunners (@Gunnersc0m) May 30, 2023
The man who won the Olympic gold medal with Cameroon in 2000 and was part of The Invincibles recollected his memories of the North London derby.
Speaking to talkSPORT, he revealed the secret to his success in those games lies in a bond he made with his English female teacher, who was a Spurs supporter.
"The person that really pushed me to play well against Tottenham and beat them was my English teacher.
"I had an English teacher and she was a big, big Tottenham fan, so by the time we were having English lessons, she was always, 'now we're going to beat you'. I said, 'OK, we'll see,' so we had that kind of argument between us.
"So she was the one that pushed me forward in order to play well in those games."
Lauren netted twice from the penalty spot against the Spurs. However, his memory of facing Tottenham came in their unbeaten season in 2003-04, when Arsenal won the Premier League at the home of their enemy.
"It was unbelievable! Especially because before, some Tottenham players - they scored [Keane equaliser] and thought that we wouldn't win the league.
"So when the referee blew the whistle, we just couldn't contain our emotions and happiness, it was something very special."
ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 6
Saturday
17.00: (3.40) Luton (3.50) Wolverhampton (2.25)
17.00: (2.05) Crystal Palace (3.50) Fulham (4.00)
17.00: (1.15) Man.City (8.00) Nott.Forest (16.0)
19.30: (1.85) Brentford (3.70) Everton (4.70)
22.00: (4.90) Burnley (3.60) Man.Utd. (1.75)
Sunday
16.00: (1.80) Arsenal (3.70) Tottenham (4.40)
16.00: (1.43) Brighton (4.90) Bournemouth (8.50)
16.00: (1.42) Liverpool (5.00) West Ham (8.00)
16.00: (1.95) Chelsea (3.50) Aston Villa (3.90)
18.30: (7.00) Sheffield Utd (4.30) Newcastle (1.48)
***odds are subject to change
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