Win the dog, new signing for the Gunners from Arsenal

The Arsenal football club, in England, has formalized the recruitment of a female Labrador named Win, as psychological support for players.

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Arsenal players celebrate a goal during a Premier League match in London on May 2, 2023. (BEN STANSALL / AFP)

The new recruit from Arsenal football club has been making headlines in the British press for the past few days. She is an adorable female Labrador, chocolate coat, named Win, “victory”, in English. We can see her strolling quietly at the Gunners training center, or during collective meals, it seems that she loves grilled chicken. Win is not there at all by chance, it is an idea of ​​Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta who wants to boost the morale of his players and reduce the level of stress at this complicated end of the season.

The experience is to say the least mixed since Saturday, May 20, Arsenal officially lost the title of champion of England, won once again by Manchester City. Yet Mikel Arteta is sure of his shot, he who is a follower of these little psychological tricks. Last season, for example, he had his players touch a light bulb in a meeting, to explain to them the importance of energy transmission.

Hennes the goat, Cologne’s mascot since the 1950s

A rather similar story took place in Mexico in 2017. A dog burst onto the lawn of Atletico San Luis in the middle of a match, and the whole team fell in love with the stray animal, which has since become the club’s official mascot.

But the most confusing animal mascot is in Cologne. The Hennes goat is an institution in the German club on the edge of the field. And he has been present at every match since the 1950s. We don’t know if Hennes, the ninth of the name, receives as many hugs from the players as the Arsenal labrador.

Other animals are also accustomed to stadiums, without necessarily being pets. Eagles, for example, are quite common in football, they regularly animate the pre-games by flying over the stadiums in Nice, Benfica Lisbon, or even Lazio in Rome.


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