Armand Traore

Armand Traore – Being a Muslim has helped my career 

 

The Arsenal defender Armand Traore has become more depply immersed in the Muslim way of life and believes it has helped him in his life and his career.
He has decided to have an operation to remove his tattoos next summer as his Muslim faith forbids them.
“I am going under the knife at the end of the season to remove the tattoos,” he said..
“I’m planning to do it in the summer. They put me under anesthetic and then do it all, and when I wake up everything will be gone.
“It needs a little bit of recovery time so I’m going to do it at the end of the football season.
“If I had been into my religion properly before I had the tattoos I don’t think I would have got them.
“I think it’s one of the biggest mistakes of my life, but I will try and correct it.
“My religion has benefited me personally and in my career. I have always been a Muslim but I wasn’t really practising it, I was just saying to people ‘I am a Muslim’. It’s a gradual development.”
Traore is expected to be given more first-team chances now that Kieran Gibbs has had his broken metatarsal confirmed, and will be out for at least three months.