Kim Kallstrom has revealed that he felt like an "outsider" during his short loan spell with Arsenal, but still regards his time at the club as one of his career highlights.
The Swedish midfielder was a surprise loan purchase by Arsene Wenger's side in January 2014, joining from Russian outfit Spartak Moscow.
Kallstrom arrived at the Emirates Stadium while carrying a back injury and went on to make only four appearances for the club across all competitions, but one of those was in the FA Cup semi-final, when he scored a penalty in the shootout to help the Gunners reach the final, where they ended a 10-year trophy drought.
"I look back on those moments fondly because when I reflect on it now, I never really felt like an Arsenal player. I remember the FA Cup celebrations and feeling like a real outsider looking inside. I was a part of it, sure, but not really. That semi-final... I'd been in the squad for almost all the games before, so I expected to be in the squad because of injuries," Kallstrom told Arsenal's official website.
"At the time, I didn't know how significant that game was because for me, Arsenal was a club that collected trophies all the time. I had the Invincibles and the Freddie Ljungberg era in my head, so I didn't understand that there had been so much time since the last trophy.
"The pressure to win one was very big, so obviously all the coaches felt that but I had no knowledge of it at the time. I was just in the right place at the right time because I think they missed their first or second penalty and it's much easier to take one after your opponent misses. But what I'll always remember is walking up to that ball from the halfway line.
"That penalty changed the experience for me massively. I came here, was injured and didn't play a lot. Sure, that's part of the game, but then when you score the penalty at least you've participated in some way. It was an important trophy for the club, so it was great fun for me.
"I'd say in terms of career highlights, that penalty is right up there. Mostly because of the size of the club, but also because it was such a weird moment. It's so different from all the others where I've won a title or won the championship in France because you fight for 11 months to lift the trophy."
Kallstrom was not part of the squad for the FA Cup final and made just one start in total for the Gunners.
Barney Corkhill
