Torreira has tattoo of childhood club crest to remind him of rocky road to PL

HIDDEN beneath the sock of Lucas Torreira's right leg is a tattoo that tells the story of his rocky road to the Emirates.

Arsenal's industrious midfielder, the man they paid Sampdoria £26.4million for, has proved to be the component missing from their artillery.

Not since Gilberto Silva has the North London club had someone so capable of screening a defence like Torreira.

Yet Torreira is also a man of gratitude, and the ink on his calf proves just that.

It is Torreira's boyhood club Institucion Atletica 18 de Julio, from Fray Bentos in Uruguay - the city made famous for making corned beef.

Having taken his first steps in football in the city, Torreira headed for the capital Montevideo as he looked to make it as a professional footballer.

But Torreira's arranged accommodation suddenly fell through, leaving the 14-year-old homeless.

Luckily for him his former club stepped in to help him out.

"We had a collection between the directors to manage the expenses and the paperwork needed to bring Lucas back," Hugo Ruiz, 18 de Julio sporting co-coordinator, told the Daily Telegraph.

"I remember seeing on his face a mixture of gratitude and emotion that I still see now.

"He lived his whole childhood here. His love for the club is unconditional."

Torreira's talent inevitably saw him rapidly rise to the top.

Three years later he returned to Montevideo Wanderers which was where he got spotted by Pescara and made the move to Italy.

This time, the accommodation didn't fall through and Torreira didn't let down.

"In Italy, everything went very quickly," Torreira told Arsenal's official website. "Reaching the top was my main target."

And he earned his move to the Prem by standing out for Uruguay in Russia this summer, seeing Arsenal willing to pay £4m more than his release clause.

"I gave my life for my country and now I am getting this opportunity with Arsenal," Torreira said last year.

"This chance is unique, every child and every footballer dreams of making it to this kind of club.

"Today that chance is mine and I will make the most of it."

New Arsenal signing Lucas Torreira is scared of mice - here is the proof