Jack Wilshere Names Scotland Icon as His 'Most Hated' Opponent

· GiveMeSport

Arsenal hero Jack Wilshere names 'horrible' Scotland and Celtic icon as his most hated opponent.

It's one of the greatest shames of modern English football that Jack Wilshere never lived up to the hype. Emerging at Arsenal , the midfielder was one of the brightest talents in the game, but injuries robbed him of the career he looked destined for.

The Hale End star burst onto the scene as a teenager, swiftly being named the 2010/11 PFA Young Player of the Year, as well as making the PFA Team of the Year when he was still just 19. The following summer, however, he suffered a stress fracture ankle injury in pre-season, and he was never quite the same.

He missed the entire next season, and fitness issues plagued him for the rest of his career. Wilshere failed to play more than 25 matches in a single Premier League campaign for the Gunners from then on. The midfielder later joined West Ham in 2018, and short spells at Bournemouth and Danish side AGF followed before he retired aged just 30.

Despite his obvious issues, the Englishman still starred alongside some legends of the modern era, such as Cesc Fabregas, Robin Van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard. He also came up against some greats, famously shining against the iconic Barcelona team of 2011.

He got the better of the likes of Lionel Messi, Xavi, and Andres Iniesta on that night. However, when asked to name the opposition player he 'hated the most', Wilshere picked a far less glamorous footballer.

Speaking to David Ornstein for The Athletic , the former Arsenal hero picked Celtic and Scotland icon Scott Brown . He explained:

> “Scott Brown. Didn't play against him that much... played against him once for Celtic. Played against him in pre-season once. He was horrible. Played against him for Scotland. He was horrible.”

> “There was a few that you knew would hit you hard, but he didn't care. Like even if it wasn't on to hit you hard, he'd hit you hard. He was horrible.”

The former Scotland midfielder knows all about being hard.

Beyond facing Brown in one pre-season game, Wilshere also faced the Scottish midfielder when Arsenal beat Celtic 3-1 in a 2009/10 Champions League qualifying match. They then met on the international stage twice, with the Three Lions winning 3-2 in 2013 and 3-1 in 2014 – Wilshere set up a goal in the first of those Scotland defeats.

The former Arsenal star would play 34 times for England in total, scoring just two goals (which both came in the same 2015 win over Slovenia). His last appearances for the Three Lions came just one year later when England were infamously dumped out of Euro 2016 by Iceland.

Scott Brown, meanwhile, was captain for Scotland on both occasions when he faced Wilshere. In total, the Celtic legend played 55 times for his country, scoring four goals. Retiring in 2022, the former midfielder was known for his tough tackling, so it's not entirely surprising to hear him mentioned by Wilshere as a 'horrible' opponent.

After all, with a career total of 212 cards – nine of which were red – the former Celtic Park star is statistically among the dirtiest players of the 21st century .

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