Alex Manninger: Martin Keown’s tribute to ‘one of Arsenal’s greatest unsung heroes’

In 1998 we had to get a special exemption for Alex so he could get a Premier League title medal. Back then, we had to play 10 matches to get a medal; he only made seven appearances.

But everyone at the club thought he totally deserved it and the Arsenal fans embraced him because Alex was playing brilliantly.

There was a song for him that sounded roughly like the nursery rhyme called Three Blind Mice.

Alex Manninger, Alex Manninger

My finger hurts, my finger hurts

Arsene loves Wenger, Arsene loves Wenger

We would sing to him whenever he came into the room. He loved it. Alex was initially a shy guy, but that changed when he became part of the group.

No matter what club you are at you know some players better than others but there was a real unity in our squad at that time. Everyone would mix with each other.

I was rooming with Stephen Hughes that season, but Matt Upson and Alex would come into our room to play PlayStation games when they were in hotels for away games. I was a few years older, so they kept me really young.

Alex’s character was quite contrasting on and off the field; He was extremely competitive on the field. He always worked incredibly hard and was very driven.

Sometimes he could be very critical of himself when he made a mistake, but it was obvious that he did not want to be beaten. As a senior player, I loved that mentality.

He was a great personality off the field as well. He was a lot of fun to be around, as long as he wasn’t playing on the PlayStation, but he was also a very calm person.

Looking at photos of him now reminds me of what he was like and those days, but it’s more than that. When I think of Alex, I can still picture our connection.

He left Arsenal in 2002 and I hadn’t seen him for a few years before his passing, but whenever you win something together, as we did – we had some very important nights together – a bond forms that will keep you together forever.

That 1997-98 season was the first season in my career where I experienced real success; It was my first league title and my first FA Cup and I’ll never forget he played a key part in that.