Evan Cooper (@Lacazest) is one of the most positive Arsenal fans on Twitter.
Now based in Wisconsin in the U.S., he was raised in Périgueux in south west France and also spent time living in London during his nomadic life.
When did you start supporting Arsenal and why?
I started supporting Arsenal in the early 2000s (I was not quite 10 years old back then).
I lived in London with my parents at the time, and being French, it was pretty easy for me to fall in love with that incredible team full of French superstars lead by Arsène!
What was your first Arsenal match?
My first Arsenal game in person was at home to Chelsea last season.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get the win, but it was an absolutely amazing experience for me seeing Arsenal at the Emirates.
Thankfully, I also went to the United game (1-0) a couple of days later!
Being able to go to a game for the first time was surreal to be honest.
I’ve watched games for a long time on TV, but it just isn’t the same in person.
My heart was racing during the entire match and I couldn’t help but look around at every single detail within the stadium the whole time to make sure I took it all in.
It’s everything I expected, and more. The noise in person is so much different to what your hear through a TV or computer speaker. It’s truly special.
Who was your first Arsenal hero and why?
Thierry Henry, without a shadow of a doubt.
Like I said, I’m French, so that was a big reason I admired him.
But the way he played was just breathtaking... he was just on a different level in terms of footballing ability.
When he had the ball, you just knew something special was going to happen, no matter what.
I was never able to actually watch games live as a kid when I lived in London because my family was never into the sport themselves.
But I would always go online to watch highlights of Arsenal games after the fact, and Henry was always so magical to watch!
It’s hard to say, but I don’t quite feel that way with any current player at Arsenal and I’m not sure I will for a little while.
Henry and Arsene Wenger are the reasons I fell in love with this beautiful club, and for that, they will always be legends to me...
Who is your favourite ever Arsenal player and why?
My favourite current Arsenal player would have to be Alexandre Lacazette and Kieran Tierney.
I absolutely love the passion from both of them during our games.
They really know what it means to be a Gooner and play for that badge.
What is your biggest Arsenal regret/disappointment?
My biggest regret as a Gooner is never having the opportunity to go watch a game at Highbury.
I’ve seen and heard about the atmosphere at our old ground, and I really wish I had had the opportunity to witness it myself...
But being positive is something I try to embrace outside of Twitter as well.
It can be very tough at times with work and the weird times we’re all having to go through currently, and there’s no denying I have my down moments too, like anyone else.
One thing I’ll say is that being positive is so much easier for me when it comes to Arsenal.
Talking about the club I love automatically puts a smile on my face and I could go on about it for hours to be honest.
Being able to share my passion with so many people online is an amazing thing, and I’m so thankful so many people appreciate my content on a daily basis.
What is your favourite Arsenal memory (away from the pitch) and why?
My favorite memory is meeting Lacazette outside the Emirates in 2020.
I was outside waving at players while they drove into the ground, and when Lacazette drove by, he recognized me from Twitter and stopped the car to have a chat with me in French.
After our conversation, he gave me his game worn shirt from the game against Chelsea a few days earlier.
It makes me realise how thankful I am for this club and the respect and kindness our players have for the community and fans.
It really is one big Arsenal family.
What is your favourite ever Arsenal match?
My favourite Arsenal game would have to be the North London Derby where we won 4-2 back in 2018.
I remember the atmosphere being absolutely electric. What stood out to me was the passion our players were showing for the full 90 minutes that day.
They knew they were playing in a North London Derby and were showing it to the fans by performing on the pitch.
I wish we could play all of our games the way we did that day!
I can’t really pick older games because I was too young to really remember them, and I feel like I’ve only recently started focusing on tactics and how we actually play the game which has made me appreciate them even more (or not sometimes 😅).
A dream of mine is to live in London one day so I can go to as many Arsenal games as I possibly can.
The club is legitimately my way of life and people who know me know damn well it’s Arsenal above all for me.