Our Young Gun series gets to know the academy youngsters kicking off their careers at the Sobha Realty Training Centre.
Maalik Hashi spoke to us recently about his pathway from Chelsea to Arsenal and the impact of the challenges of making the step up to full-time football.
I grew up in west London, around Uxbridge. My journey into football started when my dad used to take me to all his tournaments when I was really young. Watching him play made me fall in love with the game.
He never played at a high level, but he often played in five-a-side tournaments and friendly matches with his friends.