Former Arsenal kid Robbie Burton out to sink Spurs in Europa League

The former Arsenal kid in Zagreb who’s out to sink Tottenham in the Europa League! From lockdown to a massive earthquake, Robbie Burton has had a memorable first year in Croatia

  • One year out in Zagreb has tested the resolve of young midfielder Robbie Burton 
  • Lockdown and a massive earthquake in Zagreb made things tough for Burton
  • But now he is out to haunt Arsenal’s rivals Tottenham in the Europa League
  • Spurs hold a 2-0 lead heading into the second leg in Zagreb on Thursday 

Any move abroad is a bold and adventurous step for a young footballer, but one year in Zagreb has tested the resolve of Robbie Burton in ways he could never have imagined.

Within days of a transfer to Dinamo Zagreb from Arsenal in February last year, Burton found himself alone in a new country, 850 miles from home and unable to speak a word of the native language as Europe plunged into lockdown.

Barely a month later, at around six o’clock one Sunday morning, Croatia’s capital was struck by its biggest earthquake for more than a century.

Robbie Burton has endured a memorable but lonely first year with Dinamo Zagreb

Former Arsenal youngster Burton will be hoping to help Zagreb shock Tottenham on Thursday 

‘Loud and scary,’ recalls 21-year-old Burton. ‘It was my first experience of living alone and in the first month or so the earthquake hit. The building shook and the walls in my apartment cracked. I had no idea what to do, that was the thing.

‘It came as a big shock to everyone. The stadium suffered some damage but it was already closed by the lockdown. It was a crazy time and unfortunate timing for myself.

‘Zagreb is a lovely city, the people are very nice, but the situation has been difficult because I’ve not really experienced normal life here. It’s something I’ve been waiting for. Things have been up and down. But I’ve been here for a year and the time for adapting is coming to an end. It’s time for me to push on and show people why I came here.’

Burton tore himself away from his beloved Arsenal, the club he joined at the age of six, to pursue his career at Dinamo — 21 times champions of Croatia in 29 years since independence and famed for producing technical midfielders such as Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic.

‘There was no real plan for me at Arsenal,’ says the Wales Under 21 midfielder. ‘Here, they offered a plan, the chance of first-team football. We played against them with Arsenal’s Under 23s in the Premier League International Cup and my agent told me they were interested.

Burton has hailed Emile Smith Rowe after starring in Arsenal’s derby victory over Tottenham

‘I felt I was ready to make the step into the first team and it was something I just couldn’t turn down. There is a lot of history at the club and I wanted to be a part of it.’

He started in the reserves but has broken through to the first team this season as Dinamo have moved to the top of the Croatian league once again and made it to the last 16 of the Europa League and a tie against Tottenham.

‘I want to play as much football as I can,’ says Burton. ‘It’s what I do and what I enjoy. My main goal is to cement a place in the starting XI and play week in, week out. We’ll see what happens.’

He came on as a half-time substitute in Dinamo’s 5-0 win at Varazdin on Sunday before tuning in to watch Arsenal beat Spurs in the north London derby on his phone as the team bus made its way back to Zagreb.

‘The performance was top from Arsenal and the result was most important,’ says Burton, who was thrilled to see Emile Smith Rowe, his close friend and team-mate for so many years in the academy, starring in Mikel Arteta’s team.

‘I was so happy for Emile to get man of the match, so I sent him a message and we spoke on Monday.

‘He’s always been a great player. From the Under 18s, he really stood out and he deserves it all. He’s a good guy. I’m so happy to see the young players at Arsenal doing so well.’

How they would love to see Burton and Dinamo inflict more misery on Tottenham in the Europa League by reversing the 2-0 deficit from the first leg.

Spurs hold a 2-0 lead over Zagreb heading into the second leg of the Europa League last-16 tie

‘I’ve had a lot of messages from a lot of people about playing Spurs,’ says Burton. ‘All hoping I do well and we can get a result.

‘We weren’t able to do that in the first leg but the tie isn’t over. An early goal or two and we’re back in it.

‘We had opportunities to score in the first leg and hopefully at home we can compete a bit more. We just need to embrace it, enjoy it and try to turn it around.’

In Zagreb, however, the startling plot twists continue.

Dinamo boss Zoran Mamic resigned this week when Croatia’s Supreme Court confirmed a near five-year jail sentence, originally passed in 2018, as part of a fraud to embezzle millions from the club.

His brother Zdravko, a former vice president of the Croatian FA who fled the country for Bosnia on the eve of sentencing three years ago, also had a jail term confirmed, along with a former Dinamo director and a tax inspector.

Mamic’s assistant Damir Krznar has taken over ahead of the Spurs game. And Jose Mourinho thinks he has problems.




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