This is 99% Invisible.

I'm Roman Mars.

And I'm here with Emmett Fitzgerald, a 99PI producer, climate reporter, and as I've recently learned, a psychotic Arsenal fan.

It's true.

I've been mildly obsessed with the English football club Arsenal for basically my entire adult life.

To be clear, I have zero connection to North London where the team is based,

but for reasons I can barely remember now, 14-year-old me chose Arsenal,

and I've been living with the consequences ever since.

You know, I wake up at like 6.30 in the morning, basically every weekend to watch them

play in Pacific Standard Time.

That's lunatic behavior, but, you know, okay.

I can, I, it's nice to have a hobby.

Yeah, yeah, it's just, it's just my lot in life.

Um, but anyway, today is a big day because I have an arsenal story for you. It's just my lot in life. But anyway, today is a big day because I have an Arsenal story for you.

It starts with a match last season.

Arsenal were beating Bournemouth 2 to 0.

And in the 52nd minute, Arsenal won a penalty.

Now, normally in a situation like this, they would let their star player, this guy named Bacayosaka, take the penalty kick.

But on this day, a lanky German named Kai Havert's stepped up.

They've given the ball to Kai Havert's to give him.

So what's the significance of Kai Haverts and him taking the ball in this moment?

So Kai Havert had recently joined Arsenal from their London rivals Chelsea, and he cost a lot of

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