Gunners icon Thierry Henry openly expressed his admiration for this Arsenal side, in the CBS studio. The Champions League semi-final on May 5, Arsenal knocked out Atlético Madrid with a 2-1 aggregate score across both legs, booking a place in the final for the first time in 20 years.
On Tuesday, the team managed by Mikel Arteta secured a 1-0 win over Atlético Madrid in the second leg of the semi-final, progressing to the final on aggregate and staying unbeaten in this season’s Champions League so far.
As a historic figure for Arsenal and the club’s all-time leading scorer (228 goals), Henry even suggested that this squad has outperformed the legendary “Invincibles”—the Arsenal team that went unbeaten to win the Premier League title in the 2003–04 season.
“When you really look back at everything this team has achieved, you need to take a step back to realize how amazing their achievements are,” Henry said on CBS. “We are always talking about the ‘Invincibles’ of 2004, but what about the feat of this team going all the way unbeaten in the Champions League? This is a completely different level.”
He went on to highlight that staying unbeaten in European competition is much more challenging than in domestic leagues: “In the Champions League, there is almost no room for error. We saw it very clearly in the semi-final against Atlético Madrid. Many people will feel that such a game is simply a nightmare, because you know that they will drag the game into the mud and consume you in their own way. But Arsenal showed patience, they defeated their opponents in their own way, which is more like a psychological chess match.”
For this “Gunners” side, Henry believes history is already being written. As the former top scorer for the French national team (51 goals), he spoke with visible excitement about the team: “Being able to reach the final unbeaten in the Champions League is in itself a declaration to the world that Arsenal is redefining standards.”
“I am first and foremost a fan, and when I see my club interpreting the spirit of North London football in such an elegant and determined way… I will really be moved to tears.”
