Arsenal remain the only side in England with a gold Premier League trophy following their incredible achievement in the 2003-04 season.
Manchester City and Liverpool have come close in recent years but Arsenal remain the only side to go an entire campaign unbeaten in the Premier League and did so under the guidance of Arsene Wenger.
Sol Campbell revealed the characters in the Arsenal dressing room were key to their success with the leadership and drive of the likes of Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry the driving forces.
The Invincibles would cost a nine figure fee today yet Wenger acquired his side for as little as £45.1m however, things could have been very different for that side but for one moment in that 03-04 season.
READ MORE: Invincibles hero revealed what Arsenal legend did to Arsene Wenger in freak training ground incident
Arsene Wenger revealed Robert Pires dived in Invincible season
In September 2003, at the beginning of Arsenal’s Invincible campaign, the Gunners found themselves trailing 1-0 to newly-promoted Portsmouth at Highbury.
Robert Pires took matters into his own hands and after some neat play on the edge of the area, the winger went down inside the box to earn his side a penalty.
Henry converted the penalty but as per the Daily Star, Gunners boss Wenger admitted that the French star Pires ‘dived’ that day in order to preserve his team’s unbeaten run.
Wenger stated: ““Pires once dived against Portsmouth. For six months it was a story. Dyer dived and nobody said a word. If it doesn’t matter when Dyer dives, why does it matter when Pires dives?”
Had it not been for that penalty kick, Arsenal would have lost the game 1-0 thanks to an early Teddy Sheringham strike and the unbeaten record would not have existed alongside the gold trophy.
Pires career at Arsenal had magic moments
Pires was sensational at Arsenal following his move from Marseille in July 2000, the winger went on to make 284 appearances in North London and scored 84 goals in the process.
The French international became synonymous for his flair and creativity, alongside an eye for a pass and a deadly finisher in front of goal. He could produce the spectacular at times, including his goal against Aston Villa in 2002.
He was also involved in one of the more humorous incidents to occur at Highbury, when alongside French team mate Henry, the duo managed to miss a penalty in strange fashion.
A genius on the football pitch and Pires will go down as one of Wenger’s greatest signings for Arsenal with his wizardry from the flanks.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
