Granit Xhaka could not hide his joy at preventing former Premier League rival Harry Kane from lifting a Bundesliga title.
Xhaka's Bayer Leverkusen side flew to victory in the division under Xabi Alonso and have yet to taste defeat. The midfielder has played a key role since joining the German side last summer and helped the team lift the trophy with five games to spare.
The former Arsenal ace revealed he had received messages from his former teammates and coaches in congratulations. “There is still contact with Arsenal and the coaches and players," said Xhaka. "Of course, I got a lot of messages and I am proud to be part of this team.”
Reporters did not stop there however, and asked if it was more satisfying to have prevented a bitter north London rival from tasting success. The Swiss international could not help but smirk at the question on Kane, who also swapped leagues this past summer.
Xhaka responded: "It’s part of football. We know how much quality that Harry Kane has, he’s doing very well at Bayern Munich as well.
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“You get the message, but this has nothing to do with personalities. It’s great to have the chance to play against great players. We were the happiest team to win the league."
Arsenal were unable to further dampen the mood of Kane, who is yet to lift a trophy in his career, in the Champions League. Arriving at the Allianz Arena off the back of a 2-2 draw at the Emirates, in which Kane scored a penalty, the Gunners were unable to find a way past Manuel Neuer.
Granit Xhaka has impressed for Bayer Leverkusen (Getty Images)The second half header of Joshua Kimmich proved the difference in the quarter-final second leg on Wednesday night, and ensured Kane remained in the competition with a possibility of a Champions League medal at the end of the season.
Xhaka on the other hand is targeting further success with Leverkusen. The Bundesliga side take a two-goal advantage to the London Stadium to face West Ham on Thursday in the Europa League. Late goals from Jonas Hofmann and Victor Boniface ensured Alonso's side arrived in England with a healthy advantage.
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