While West Ham United’s recent matches under Graham Potter have seen many an explosion of anger from a furious fanbase, it was a former Hammer who ‘set fire’ to his own stadium in Wednesday’s Europa League opener.
From a purely metaphorical perspective, of course.
Then again, you cannot rule anything out when it comes to Marko Arnautovic. Perhaps one of the few strikers in world football capable of one-upping Mario Balotelli’s bathroom-based firework displays.
And, typically, when the hot-headed Serbian appears on the screen, drama is never usually too far behind. After another former Premier League stalwart in Kelechi Iheanacho rolled back the years to give Celtic the lead in Belgrade, Arnautovic levelled with a scruffy close range finish before immediately butting heads with visiting defender Liam Scales.
Marko Arnautovic ‘set fire to the Marakana’, as Serbian publication Telegraf put it, with his goal and his typically confrontational style.
As ever ,when it comes to a man who has been at the heart of more flashpoints than most other footballers combined, an extinguisher is always useful to have on hand.
Former West Ham United striker Marko Arnautovic scores for Red Star Belgrade vs Celtic
There was a ‘mentos-meet-Pepsi’ feel to Arnautovic’s Red Star Belgrade transfer. But while his relationship with the West Ham United faithful is forever tainted by the nature of his departure, one suspects one of Europe’s most febrile fanbases will grow to love Arnautovic as one of their own.
Now 36 years of age, the extremely well-travelled Arnautovic clearly hasn’t lost his nose for big goals, or potential scraps.
Arnautovic left Italian giants Inter Milan following a two-year spell as back-up to Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez. Now, as the Serbian legend plans to bow out at the 2026 World Cup, this appears to be his proverbial ‘last dance’ in club football.
Inspiring Red Star Belgrade into the knockout stages of a European competition for the first time in four years – while finally making his mark on Serbian soil – would be a typically pyrotechnic way to bow out.
That Celtic leveller, remarkably, was also Marko Arnautovic’s first ever Europa League strike, on his competition debut. He arrived at West Ham just too early for those regular trips across the Channel, while spending much of his later years either in the Champions League or in faraway China.
Still, at his age and with so many games of football under his belt, that is a pretty surprising statistic.
“[His performance] was about experience and quality,” Sport Klub write while handing Arnautovic the joint-highest rating of any Red Star player with 7.5.
He would have finished on an eight or above, however, had Mirko Ivanic taken the chance he created with a perfectly-weighted through ball shortly after that bundled equaliser.
“He showed once again how strong his trump card is in playing in a team-mate. But also that he doesn’t have enough strength for 90 minutes.”
Arnautovic hopes to fire Crvena Zvezda into Europa League knockout-stages
This is the challenge facing Red Star coach Vladan Milojevic throughout the remainder of a gruelling league phase.
Managing the minutes of a 36-year-old forward who, it is not difficult to imagine, gets rather itchy feet on the bench.
“It’s difficult when you play in Europe to come back [from behind],” Milojevic said. “It was positive that the team showed character and that they managed to score that equalising goal very quickly.
“[But] the masterful move of Marko Arnautovic, who created a great chance for Mirko Ivanic…”
Red Star – who tend to be known as Crvena Zvezda on European nights due to UEFA’s sponsorship rules – will face the likes of Porto, Braga and LOSC Lille in their next seven matches on the continent.
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
