The former winger made his Arsenal debut at the age of just 17 and will always be grateful to his former boss for believing in him and other young players during his lengthy tenure at the club.

Theo told FourFourTwo magazine: “I played under Arsene for 12 years and can’t thank him enough for giving me the opportunity to put on an Arsenal shirt – it all started with him.

“He believed in young talent and helped to develop so many stars.”

The 35-year-old broadcaster also appreciates the kindness and guidance Ashley Cole showed towards him.

He said: “He looked after me at Arsenal, I’ll never forget that, and he’s probably the best left-back in Premier League history.

“We often practised one-on-ones and it was difficult to get past him.

“I’d watch him do drills with Thierry Henry after training.

“Thierry used to say what he was going to do before he did it, but Ashley always came out on top in those battles.”

While teammate Thierry Henry was Theo’s “hero”, he loved turning out alongside Robin Van Persie.

He said: “Henry was my hero but I played far more with Robin, who made finishing seem really easy.

“When you talk about players who have a wand of a left foot, he genuinely had that.

“He scored some iconic goals and made my life so much easier on the night.”