It isn’t often that you can pinpoint one moment in which one person’s life or the way they are perceived is changed beyond recognition. But that is undoubtedly the case for Marko Arnautovic and his relationship with the supporters of West Ham United.
December 2017. The Hammers were already 1-0 up, and the Austrian was putting his former club through the mill at the Britannia Stadium, his athleticism and technical skill causing Stoke plenty of problems. The only thing missing was a goal. It came in the 75th minute. Manuel Lanzini clipped the ball over the Potters’ defence to Arnie, who took one touch before hitting the ball past the onrushing Jack Butland, for the second of West Ham’s three goals in a comfortable win.
There were no muted celebrations, which seem to be customary when scoring against a former team in the modern game. Instead, when Arnautovic got back to the centre circle, he crossed his hands above his head to make the irons sign before banging the hammers on his chest. The boos around the ground intensified, gifs were prepared to be shared all over the internet, and West Ham fans laughed. They took him to their hearts immediately, even as fans who had once adored him relentlessly berated him. Marko Arnautovic may have arrived in East London in July 2017. But it was on that Saturday in December at Stoke-on-Trent that he truly announced himself to the Hammers faithful.
Before that, his relationship with West Ham’s supporters wasn’t the best. This wasn’t helped by the fact that he was sent off just half an hour into his second appearance for the club, having caught Jack Stephens with a flying elbow when shutting down the Southampton centre back. In addition to this, he didn’t score a single goal in his entire time under Slaven Bilic, managing just two assists in a Carabao Cup win against Bolton Wanderers. It was obvious that there was talent within him, but most supporters found him a frustrating player to watch, feeling that he seemed disinterested and egotistical.