FlashFocus: 'Bad boy' Arnautovic still remains player to fear as reputation improves
Jose Mourinho once made a momentous judgement about one of his proteges."He's a great guy, but he has a head like a child," said the Portuguese in 2010 about the Austrian attacker Arnautovic.
Mourinho was the head coach at Inter at the time and tried unsuccessfully to make the talented youngster a fully-fledged part of his team. Playing alongside legendary players such as Javier Zanetti, Wesley Sneijder and Cristian Chivu, the then 20-year-old super talent looked like a lost cause.
Non-stop Scandals
At the time, Arnautovic went to great lengths to confirm Mourinho's harsh judgement. He hardly got any playing time, yet his name frequently appeared in the headlines. In 2010, he borrowed teammate Samuel Eto'o's Bentley for an evening - the luxury car was unceremoniously stolen from him.
In 2012, Arnautovic was pulled over by the police in Vienna. He greeted the officer extremely confidently: "I have so much money, I can buy your life." A year later, he was caught together with Eljero Elia in a night-time car race. His employer at the time, Werder Bremen, suspended both players.
Arnautovic's career seemed to be over before it had even begun. He was in danger of joining the long line of eternal prodigies who never made their mark.
A bad boy becomes a family man
But nothing came of it. Arnautovic got back on track. Today he is 35 years old and is once again under contract with Inter. Although he is only a backup player for the Italian champions, he is still an important part of the team. In the eyes of his coach Simone Inzaghi, the veteran "can be a great help."
He has only made three appearances in Serie A in the 2024/25 season so far, but Arnautovic is there when he's needed - he puts himself at the service of the team.
There are two reasons why Arnautovic ended up as an adult professional footballer rather than a joke - his two daughters, Alicia and Emilia. He became a father for the first time in 2014 and quickly realised his responsibility.
In no time at all, the bad boy developed into a family man.
During his time at Stoke City (2013-2017), he finally managed to shed his image as an 'enfant terrible'. Later, he also became a crowd favourite at West Ham United, at least for a short time; the fans have still not forgiven him for turning his back on the Hammers in the summer of 2019 in order to earn a big salary in China.
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Turbulent childhood
Although the move to the Far East turned out to be a mistake from a sporting perspective: Arnautovic's career deserves great respect.
He is a boy from the street who grew up in Vienna-Floridsdorf, a so-called problem district. The crime rate here is above average and numerous ethnicities make the neighbourhood a bubbling melting pot. It was easy to fall in with bad influences. Many of his childhood friends ended up in prison.
But playing football gave Arnautovic a firm foothold. He learned to kick a ball in the Viennese cages - small, fenced-in concrete pitches. Fair play is a foreign concept here. The focus is not on the team's success but on the spectacle. This characterised his stubborn style of play.
Finishing at the 2026 World Cup?
Although Austria rarely produces really big football talents, the son of a Serbian was not always loved in his home country. Athleticism and determination are the great virtues there. Ball control and technique come second.
However, the Austrians have now become accustomed to his style of play. What's more, they have learned to love it. Despite his advanced age, Arnautovic has become an integral part of the national team. He is now the OFB team's record player with 120 appearances.
He also has 39 international goals to his name, and Toni Polster's record of 44 is within reach.
Austria manager Ralf Rangnick favours a run-intensive, aggressive pressing style. This does not suit Marko Arnautovic's style of play - he loves to shield the ball, draw opponents towards him and combine with teammates in tight spaces, which looks elegant but slows down the flow of the game - but 'Arnie' is indispensable for Rangnick nevertheless.
The Austrian team is on the upswing and qualification for the 2026 World Cup is a distinct possibility. If everything goes according to plan, Arnautovic could then call it quits. It would be a worthy end to a unique career.
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