Why I love... Arsenal

Former 1970s heartthrob and TV star David Soul, explains to BBC Radio Five Live how he is savouring the Gunners' FA Cup final clash with Liverpool.

Arsenal boast a long list of international celebrities on the pitch, but who would have thought that their fans would have an even more dazzling pedigree.

You can safely say that your team has entered the echelons of coolness when you have David Soul, or 'Hutch' as he is known to millions, yelling from the terraces.

The former pin-up is Arsenal through and through, or at least since the early '90s anyway.

Not only has he made the monumental conversion from American sports to the beautiful game, but he seems to have bucked the more obvious trend of supporting Manchester United in favour of the Wenger boys.

Golden memories

Soul still remembers watching his first game like it was yesterday - well, almost.

"Gee-whizz, it was incredible - they were a great team," reminisces 'the blonde one' from Starsky and Hutch.

"Though they weren't that great the first time. I think we lost 2-1 to Derby in 1994."

Since then, things have only got better for the Gunners, and Soul has been behind them all the way, more or less.

In fact, Arsenal's league and FA Cup success over the last few years has produced so many memorable moments that our David, er, cannot seem to remember any.

When asked to pick his favourite moment, the man of a thousand car chases nails it to a vague "when the passing is great."

Adams: a bit of a 'Soul' man

"You see the game moving down the field with the passing, and its spot-on kind of... passing."

Ahh, an enduring image eh David?

"I think that's the most exciting thing in sport with football being played like that," he added.

Wise words, or a wisely avoided question more like.

However, unlike many die-hard fans, Soul has actually managed to meet some of his heroes face-to-face.

"I've met a few of them, not all."

So who is David's favourite Arsenal player, or are there too many?

"My favourite, of course, Tony Adams has become a hero for all of us, especially all of us over 35.

"He is a shining example of what the [FA Cup] competition is all about."

Touching words from one soul man to another.