Andre Santos is a name most Arsenal fans probably don't want to hear. The overweight left-back came under severe criticism from Gunners fans during the two years he was with the club. In November 2012 the criticism was exacerbated during a game at Old Trafford against Manchester United. After a dismal first-half performance, the Brazilian infamously went and swapped shirts with former Arsenal captain Robin van Persie, who was sold to United just a few months earlier. The vast majority of Arsenal fans were not best pleased with Santos and in February 2013 he departed the club, albeit only on loan.
The destination of his loan was Brazil. Santos decided that a move back to his homeland would be best for his footballing career. He signed a one year deal with Gremio and was contracted to play for them in the Libertadores. Unfortunately, Santos managed just five appearances during his time in Porto Alegre, although he did enjoy a solitary goal.
Upon his return to Arsenal he was immediately shown the exit door. Flamengo, a team he'd shown so much promise with in a loan spell there in his youth, took him onboard with a two year contract. His first season in Rio de Janeiro was average at best, with Santos again failing to find any sort of consistency in his performances. After a humiliating 4-0 defeat Internacional and yet another truly awful performance from Andre Santos, Flamengo fans were furious. One fan in particular had seen enough of Santos and attacked him shortly after the game. The incident left him hospitalised and on 15 August 2014 shortly after being released from hospital, he reached an agreement to leave Flamengo, much to the delight of the fans.
Santos remained a costless agent for a little over a month, until the newly established Indian Super League side FC Goa approached him with a contract. He quickly jumped at the opportunity to escape from Brazil and is now set to play with Arsenal legend Robert Pires and be coached by Brazil legend Zico. The contrast between Andre Santos and Pires and Zico is striking. Pires is a player that will go down in Arsenal history books as a key figure in the famous "invincibles" season and Zico is one of Brazil's finest, compared to Santos who receives volumes of hatred at just about every club he's ever played for.
However, at thirty-one, a change of scenery could be exactly what Andre Santos needs while he sees out the rest of his playing career. The newly formed Indian Super League will surely have less fan pressure than Brazil and should be a lot less physically demanding than a top European league. Perhaps this could finally be the time that Santos shines and is loved by a set of fans, or at least some of them.