Arsenal are yet to win the Champions League despite a glorious history of silverware as a club, but they came agonisingly close.
In 2006, Arsenal were preparing to move into the Emirates Stadium as Arsene Wenger led them to their first-ever Champions League final.
Arsenal had beaten Real Madrid, Juventus and Villarreal to reach the final in Paris, where they came up against a Barcelona side managed by Dutch legend Frank Rijkaard.
Fans were optimistic ahead of the final but it ended in disaster. Goalkeeper Jens Lehmann received a red card early on, leading to the controversial substitution of club legend Robert Pires.
Arsenal did take the lead through Sol Campbell, but after valiantly fighting with 10 men, goals from Samuel Eto’o and Juliano Belletti consigned the Gunners to defeat.
Wenger picked his strongest possible team for the final, but whilst they have all retired from football, many have gone down very different paths nearly 20 years later.
Jens Lehmann
Goalkeeper Lehmann was sent off with a straight red card after bringing down Eto’o, with Manuel Almunia replacing him.
Lehmann briefly returned to Arsenal as a coach in Wenger’s final season, but is now unattached from football, having been involved in a few controversial incidents which also saw him trademark the ‘Invincibles’ name, and criticise Mikel Arteta’s decisions as manager.
Emmanuel Eboue
The former right-back went on to play for Galatasaray, and was given a warm reception when he returned to face Arsenal in the Emirates Cup in 2013.
Eboue retired in 2016 after a brief spell at Sunderland, but revealed that he was bankrupt in 2019 after a few difficult years.
Kolo Toure
Kolo Toure went on to play for Manchester City and Liverpool, as one of a few players who featured for three or more English sides in the Champions League.
Toure became Wigan manager in 2022 after several years of coaching alongside Brendan Rodgers at Celtic and Leicester City, but was sacked after just nine games in charge, as he failed to win a single one.
Sol Campbell
Arsenal legend Sol Campbell retired in 2011, and has had a varied career since. Occasionally seen on UK TV as a pundit, Campbell made a brief foray into politics in 2016, before a spell as a manager in 2018.
Campbell pulled off a miracle as he saved League Two side Macclesfield Town from a near-certain relegation, during which time he contended with financial problems.
He then moved to League One side Southend United, but he could not prevent them from being relegated in 2020, and he is yet to take another managerial or coaching job elsewhere.
Ashley Cole
Ashley Cole spent several years at Chelsea before moving on to Roma and later LA Galaxy. Cole went on to take a coaching role at Derby County after retiring at the club, before joining England under-21s, Everton and Birmingham City as coaches.
Cole has now taken a full-time role within the English FA after leaving Birmingham, in which he will assist with youth coaching.
Cesc Fabregas
Former captain Cesc Fabregas went on to play for Barcelona, Chelsea, Monaco and FC Como before retiring.
The Spaniard is now managing Como in Serie A, having held a coaching role at the club, as well as being a shareholder.
Fabregas signed big names such as Raphael Varane and Andrea Belotti in his time as Como manager, and had the newly-promoted side 10th in Serie A after his first six games.
Gilberto Silva
Gilberto Silva retired in 2014 after departing Arsenal in 2008, but has since returned to the club as an ambassador.
The Brazilian regularly comments on Arsenal as a pundit, and he is often spotted with the squad, with the former midfielder travelling to the USA on a pre-season tour with Arteta’s team.
Freddie Ljungberg
Like Gilberto, Freddie Ljungberg is an outspoken pundit on Swedish television, where he regularly talks about hs former club Arsenal.
Ljungberg had a spell as Arsenal assistant manager, and even a brief interim role as manager after Unai Emery was sacked and Arteta appointed, but the former winger is yet to find another coaching role.
Alex Hleb
Alex Hleb was a rising star at Arsenal, but he forced an ill-fated move to Barcelona in which he never showed what he was truly capable of.
Hleb briefly returned to England with Birmingham City, but he missed their League Cup final victory against Arsenal through injury.
The winger played for 12 different clubs, which included several spells at BATE Borisov, and even played against Arsenal in a 1-0 victory in the Europa League in 2019.
Hleb did admit that leaving Arsenal for Barcelona was the biggest regret of his career, and he currently has no role in football or coaching as it stands.
Robert Pires
Robert Pires is one of the best wingers the club has seen, but he left the club after his controversial substitution against Barcelona, as he was furious at Wenger’s decision to bring him off.
Pires went on to play for Villarreal and Aston Villa before ending his career at FC Goa in India, and he is regularly seen at both Arsenal and Villarreal.
The Frenchman landed himself in hot water after he launched a surprising criticism at Bukayo Saka, but later retracted his comments, and is still seen by many as a true Arsenal great.
Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry is arguably the best player in the history of the club, and his emotional return on loan in 2012 was one of the most iconic moments in recent memory.
Henry retired at New York Red Bulls in 2012, but attempted to move into coaching, and landed roles with Monaco and Montreal Impact.
The former striker coached the France team as his country hosted the Olympics in 2024, leading his side to the final where they lost to Spain, before stepping down from his role.
Henry is a regular pundit on CBS Sports for Champions League games, and it is unclear whether he will return to coaching yet.
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