Arsenal title-winner admits hero ended his Highbury career before Invincibles season

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Giovanni van Bronckhorst has admitted that Gilberto Silva finished his career with Arsenal, to cost him a spot in Arsene Wenger’s 2003/04 Invincibles Gunners team.

Wenger originally signed Van Bronckhorst to replace Emmanuel Petit beside Patrick Vieira in Arsenal’s midfield. But the Dutchman arrived from Rangers on the back of suffering an injury towards the end of the 2000/01 term. He also later suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury.

Van Bronckhorst cost Arsenal £8.5m to sign from Rangers in June 2001 after winning two Scottish top-flight titles. But his only Premier League title came in the 2001/02 season, when he played 21 times. The Dutchman also started just 13 games and was absent past February.

Gilberto ended Van Bronckhorst’s Arsenal career right before the Invincibles

Van Bronckhorst could not establish himself as a regular starter once fit, either, and Wenger often deployed him at left-back. Gilberto then joined Arsenal in the summer of 2002 for his move to Europe from Atletico Mineiro and hit the ground running to Van Bronckhorst’s pain.

“Due to my injury, I wasn’t able to nail down a regular starting role and that’s a shame,” Van Bronckhorst told FourFourTwo.

“I was originally brought in as a midfielder but mainly played as a full-back, partly because Gilberto Silva was signed for my position in midfield and immediately did really well. But I showed my qualities as a left-back and was therefore able to make the move to Barcelona.”

That transfer to Barcelona initially came on loan in August 2003, as Wenger put his faith in Gilberto at Arsenal. It proved to be a great decision for the Gunners as the Brazilian played 32 games during the 2003/04 Premier League season as Arsenal went the term unbeaten.

Van Bronckhorst’s Barcelona beat Arsenal in the 2006 Champions League final

But while Gilberto’s form partly forced Van Bronckhorst to change position, he realises that it ‘opened a new door’. The door also led to the best days of the Dutchman’s playing career. He won two La Liga titles at Barcelona and beat Arsenal in the Champions League final in 2006.

“In 1999, I started at left-back for the Netherlands under Frank Rijkaard,” Van Bronckhorst continued. “Ultimately, I had the best period of my whole career in that position. The knee injury opened a new door for me.”

Barcelona, initially, signed Van Bronckhorst on loan from Arsenal in August 2003 as Wenger put his faith in Gilberto. The Blaugrana, ultimately, made the move permanent in May 2004 as Van Bronckhorst emerged as a key player at Camp Nou – even if he failed to at Highbury.

Rijkaard started Van Bronckhorst in all 13 of Barcelona’s games en route to the Champions League final against Arsenal in 2005/06. He also played the full 90 minutes in Paris as the Blaugrana edged the Gunners 2-1. Gilberto started beside Cesc Fabregas after Vieira’s exit.