Having failed to make an impact with Arsenal after joining from Sevilla, Jose Antonio Reyes revealed to the News of the World how he has good memories of his experience with the North London Club and the only reason he left was that he was homesick.

The 26-year old, who joined Real Madrid after leaving Arsenal and now plays for Atletico Madrid, said:

Obviously something special is in the air every time I’m back and playing away to an English team.

Chelsea was a special game because they used to be my rivals when I was an Arsenal player.

The home fans gave me a noisy reception, which is something you have to accept as it’s part of the game. Once you wear the Arsenal shirt, you become Chelsea’s enemy. Playing in England was a massive experience for me. Even if people don’t think I made it here, I grew up as a human being and learnt a lot.

Anyway, I keep good memories of my spell with Arsenal, which is a club I’ll always respect. Playing in this country was an opportunity. But I was homesick and decided to move back to Spain.