Martin Zubimendi had been a wanted man in the Premier League for a number of years before Arsenal finally got a deal over the line to bring him over from Spain in the summer of 2024.
Liverpool and Man City had both been strongly linked with him in previous years, but the player's loyalty to Real Sociedad stopped a Premier League move on more than one occasion.
As far as Arsenal fans are concerned, he was worth the wait, as his performances since coming in have helped the club establish themselves as the team to beat in the Premier League title race.
As a result of his performances, the Arsenal faithful have given him his own Christmas-themed chant. All the details of which can be found below.
Martin Zubimendi Christmas chant, lyrics and tune
The Martin Zubimendi chant is sung to the tune of ‘Last Christmas' by Wham. The lyrics are as follows:
Last Christmas, I gave you my heart,
But the very next day, you gave it away,
This year, to save me from tears,
I'll give it to Zubimendi
Martin Zubimendi chant background
The Martin Zubimendi chant is inspired by the Wham classic from 1984. The song has become a staple of the festive period in the United Kingdom, so it's not a huge surprise that fans have turned to it for festive football chants.
The Zubimendi version isn't overly imaginative. It is just the exact same lyrics as the original, but with the words ‘someone special' changed to ‘Zubimendi'.
While the decision to do that was likely based on nothing more than a syllable match, the player is special to Mikel Arteta, and he is seen as the glue that holds Arsenal together, much in the same way that Rodri is to Manchester City.
Arsenal fans singing the Martin Zubimendi chant
FGG says: Will it outlive the Christmas period?
Martin Zubimendi is well deserving of an Arsenal chant, so the fact that Arsenal fans have chosen a Christmas song for him is quite a surprise, due to the short shelf life. It will be interesting to see whether match-going Arsenal supporters will continue singing this into January and beyond.