Arsenal have been drawn against Real Madrid in the Champions League for the first time in nearly two decades.
The Gunners knew that it was going to be either the Galacticos or Atletico Madrid before they kicked a ball against PSV Eindhoven.
Atleti made Carlo Ancelotti’s side work really hard, but Real Madrid controversially won the game in the end on Wednesday night.
The last time Arsenal and Los Blancos faced each other, Thierry Henry was leading the line for the Gunners.
The Frenchman has now revealed what happened when the draw was made at the time.
How people in Spain reacted when Arsenal drew Real Madrid in the Champions League in 2006
Real Madrid have always been the biggest club in the world.
The Spanish giants are the most successful club in the history of the Champions League, having won the competition on 15 occasions.
Real Madrid start every season with the aim of winning the big European prize, and it was no different back in the 2005/06 season.
The Galacticos drew Arsenal in the quarter final then – just like they have done now – and everyone expected the Gunners to lose.
Henry has revealed that people in Spain even ‘laughed’ when they found out that it would be Arsenal.
On CBS Sports, when asked how Arsenal should approach the game against Real Madrid, Henry replied: “Believe that you can. I’ve been in that situation with a tiny bit less talent. I will be honest with you, when we drew Real Madrid, everyone laughed at the draw, especially in Spain.
“You might as well not go and play if you don’t think you can beat them. You need to have the belief that you can beat that team. If you arrive at Real Madrid thinking ‘let’s see what happens’, you might as well not go.”
The one reason why Arsenal should believe they can beat Real Madrid
When Arsenal faced Real Madrid in 2006, the Spanish giants were truly the Galacticos.
They had superstars like Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham, Roberto Carlos and Sergio Ramos in their starting lineup in that game at the Bernabeu.
It’s no surprise that nobody gave Arsenal a chance, especially as Arsene Wenger’s back four featured Emmanuel Eboue, Kolo Toure, Philippe Senderos and Mathieu Flamini.
However, the Gunners won that game thanks to Thierry Henry’s goal, and Wenger’s side held on to a 0-0 in the second leg to go through.
The reason why Arsenal should believe they can do it again now is their defence.
A back four of Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Myles Lewis-Skelly is significantly better than the four players who started in 2006.
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