Emile Smith Rowe has always held the dream of playing for Arsenal.
It was hard not to be inspired when you're surrounded by such immense talent.
The South London lad linked up with the Gunners' academy at the age of 10 and was quickly tipped as a potential star for the future.
Joined by the likes of Reiss Nelson, Joe Willock, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Eddie Nketiah and Bukayo Saka, Smith Rowe is a key part of a special group of young players who look every inch the future of the North London Club.
Inspiration was not in short supply for those growing up at London Colney with players such as Cesc Fabregas, Thierry Henry and Robin Van Persie lighting up North London, and Smith Rowe revealed exactly who he was hoping to emulate during his early years with the club.
Speaking exclusively to Football League World, he said: "At Arsenal I was looking up to players like Dennis Bergkamp – at that age Jack Wilshere was just breaking into the team as well.
“I looked up to him a lot, as well as the main players like (Lionel) Messi and (Cristiano) Ronaldo who are obviously inspirational for all young players.
“At that age I was always looking up to players and hoping to follow their footsteps into the first team.”
While Smith Rowe is out gaining regular first team football with Huddersfield Town, many of his teammates have been handed an opportunity to impress at the Emirates Stadium.
Reiss Nelson, Joe Willock, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Eddie Nketiah and Bukayo Saka have all been first team regulars under Unai Emery and Mikel Arteta at some stage this term, and Smith Rowe says that he's delighted for his friends that they're making their mark at the club they love.
"I think it's great," said Smith Rowe.
“Not just for me and the others, but for the club to help players to come through and get their opportunity.
“Me and Reiss (Nelson) are the same age so we used to play a lot together. Joe Willock and Eddie (Nketiah) were both older than us and then Bukayo Saka is two years younger and you can see how well he’s doing at the moment.
“They’re taking their chances and we’re all close friends so when one person gets their chance it’s always good and we’re always messaging each other and saying ‘well done’ and we talk a lot so I’m happy for the other players."
One key reason why Emile Smith Rowe is not linking up with his Arsenal teammates on a Saturday afternoon is some dreadful luck with injuries.
The 19-year-old missed a big chunk of last season with a troublesome injury, before suffering a nasty concussion in the early rounds of the Carabao Cup this term.
That has stopped him from progressing at the same rate as his fellow academy graduates, and Smith Rowe spoke openly about 'a really difficult' time in his young career.
He said: "It was really difficult for me.
“I was getting opportunities in the Europa League and scoring goals and then I got that bad injury.
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“It wasn’t a good time for me but thankfully I had my family and friends around me and they really helped me to get through it.
“My family helped me so much at that time and that really helped me get through a difficult time.”
“Arsenal helped me so much during that time.
“The rehab that I was doing was really good and they were giving me loads of advice to stay happy and that was really helpful.
“I’m just really happy that I’m injury-free at the moment.”