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The end could barely have been longer or more painful for Manuel Almunia at Arsenal, but finally the Spaniard is starting to feel loved again.

Goalkeeper Almunia last week joined Watford on a free transfer after eight years on the other side of the London Colney training ground fence at Arsenal.

During his time with the Gunners, Almunia collected an FA Cup ­winners’ medal, played in a ­Champions League final and ­produced man-of-the-match ­performances against Barcelona and Manchester United.

But, as is the case with most ­goalkeepers, Almunia will be remembered by many for the blunders and the moments of ­madness.

A disastrous home defeat to West Brom almost two years ago effectively finished his Arsenal career.

He saw old enemy Jens Lehmann brought out of retirement from the commentary box to go in ahead of him, and spent last season as the club’s forgotten man.

“After Arsenal, I just wanted to go to a place where I feel wanted, respected and loved, and made to feel like a good goalkeeper again,” said Almunia. “That’s what I have found at Watford.

“On my first day at ­Watford, the captain, John Eustace, came to me and said, ‘We needed a good goalkeeper and we are lucky you are here’. That made me feel proud and good about ­myself.

“As a person, I always felt loved and respected at Arsenal, but as a player it is different. When you don’t play you don’t feel wanted or loved and your self-belief goes down.

“Once you stop being with the team every weekend and travelling with the team, people forget you.”

Almunia still regrets the decision he believes cost him his Arsenal ­career, when he played on with an elbow injury after saving a penalty against West Brom, but eventually let three soft goals in.

“I have big regrets about that game because maybe if I had stopped playing I would have played many more games for ­Arsenal,” said Almunia.

“It was such a difficult time. At half-time I had been so happy about saving a penalty, but everything then went wrong for me, and I couldn’t understand why.

“It was so, so hard to cope with. One day you are number one and ­everybody wants you, and the next day you disappear. I am quite a ­sensitive person and I am not good in the bad moments.

“I didn’t talk to anybody about how I felt because I don’t like to disturb people with my problems. Maybe that was a mistake as well, maybe I should have talked to somebody.”

Lehmann’s Arsenal return was humiliating for Almunia after the pair had publicly fallen out during their first spell together at the club.

But 35-year-old Almunia insists he has now settled his differences with the German and only wishes well to all his old colleagues, team-mates and even the Arsenal fans who mocked and jeered him.

“I have my opinion about what happened when Jens came back and I know the truth, but I don’t want any trouble now – I have moved on,” said Almunia.

“I guess the boss was angry with me, but I never asked him or spoke to him about it.

“But I haven’t got any problem with Jens. We have a great relationship now, which is strange.

“Jens was very competitive on the pitch and in training, sometimes too much. But off the pitch he is a lovely person and our relationship ended well.

“It wasn’t a good moment for me when the Arsenal fans jeered me, and the end was very tough.

“But now I have left, all I have in my heart is good memories and good thoughts for Arsenal, the manager, the players and the fans.

“I would love to go back there with Watford. That would be my dream.”

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