What Thierry Henry told Kylian Mbappe pre-match paid off for Arsenal in Real Madrid thrashing

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Thierry Henry was in attendance as Arsenal hosted Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final first leg.

Arsenal beating Real Madrid 3-0 would’ve been a dream outcome for the Gunners before the match kicked off. 

Mikel Arteta’s side made it happen as Declan Rice scored two outrageous free kicks before Mikel Merino added a third.

The North Londoners will now take a three-goal lead to the Bernabeu, with another historic night at the venue needed 19 years after Henry’s heroics. 

• READ MORE: Forget Declan Rice, Thierry Henry says another player is the reason why Arsenal thrashed Real Madrid

Thierry Henry’s pre-match message for Kylian Mbappe against Arsenal 

Champions League nights don’t get much more magical than the 90 minutes Arsenal fans were treated to at the Emirates. 

It was 19 years ago that Arsenal beat Real Madrid in the 2006 Champions League, overcoming the Spanish side on the road to the final. 

The protagonist from the tie all those years ago was Henry, who, despite being away from the action on the pitch in this season’s clash, ensured he played his part. 

Speaking as part of CBS Sports’ coverage of the blockbuster match, Henry revealed a conversation he had with Kylian Mbappe before kick-off. 

“Tonight, he’s playing against the team I love most in the world. Listen, I don’t wish him anything bad, but tonight, I told him, ‘Please, I don’t want to see you.’ Not tonight, no.”

Mbappe was clearly influenced by the Arsenal legend, as he failed to make an impact on the game, muchly due to the attentiveness of William Saliba and Jakub Kiwior. 

Mbappe was isolated against Arsenal 

For a player with 32 goals for Madrid this season and a total of 55 Champions League goals in his career, Mbappe was kept remarkably quiet by Arsenal.

As seen by the Frenchman’s numbers, the World Cup winner was put on mute by the Gunners’ defence, unable to get the better of his life-long friend Saliba.

Without Mbappe, there would be no Saliba, as the forward’s exposure as a youngster saw the Arsenal defender also noticed in Bondy. 

After 90 minutes at the Emirates, the former Paris Saint-Germain star will surely dread seeing his compatriot in the return at the Bernabeu, with a lot of work to do if Real Madrid are to stun Arsenal with a comeback.