Australian goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne, of dancing infamy against Peru in a decisive World Cup qualifying play-off, revealed to FourFourTwo he almost signed for Arsenal in 2006, but the club instead opted for Woijech Szczęsny.
A youth footballer with the New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS), Arsenal spotted Redmayne during a NSWIS tour of England, asking him for a short trial at the club. The Gunners then initially offered him a contract, which was later withdrawn in favour of a 15-year-old Szczęsny.
"I had a two-week trial and everything went really well," Redmayne explained in the new issue of FourFourTwo, a World Cup special available to order.
As called on Australian radio: pic.twitter.com/DMPchKEitpJune 13, 2022
"I pretty much had a contract in front of me, and we were going to meet them at the Hong Kong Sevens a few months later, then head to London. My mum sent an email to get flight details for Hong Kong, but Arsenal replied to say that they had just signed another young keeper and my services were no longer required.
"That keeper turned out to be Wojciech Szczesny. It was heart-breaking."
After being snubbed by Arsenal at 17-years-old, Redmayne instead moved to the Australian Institute of Sport, where he played his first professional game in 2007 in the Victorian Premier League.
He then moved to Central Coast Mariners in the A-League for the 2008/09 season, and has since spent time at Brisbane Roar, Melbourne City and Western Sydney Wanderers. In 2017 he joined Sydney FC, though, since establishing himself as the club's first-choice keeper.
Australia first called him up for the national team in June 2019 for a friendly against South Korea, but it is his antics from June 2022 where Redmayne is most recognised.
Coming off the bench in the 120th minute of Australia's World Cup play-off match against Peru, Redmayne stepped in for Mat Ryan for the penalty shootout. Dancing around on his goal line with moves that would be questionable even for someone in a nightclub at 3am, Redmayne tried his best to put off Peru's penalty takers as they stepped up for their spot kicks by moving here, there and everywhere.
Eventually, he managed to deny Alex Valera to send Australia to their fifth-straight World Cup, earning hero status in the process. In an interview after the game, Redmayne revealed that the tactic had been planned for months, and is something he has done before, such as during the 2019 A-League Grand Final against Perth Glory.
If Arsenal ever fancy a whacky penalty-saving goalkeeper, they know where to look.
