Where are they now? Arsenal’s XI from their famous 1-0 win over Real Madrid in 2006
Arsenal and Real Madrid’s meeting in the quarter-final of the Champions League inevitably brings up memories of their unforgettable clash in 2006.
Surprisingly enough, for two of the biggest clubs in football, that Round of 16 double-legged clash is their only previous meeting in history.
Almost two decades on, we’ve asked the question of what became of Arsenal‘s iconic XI from their 1-0 victory at the Bernabeu?
GK: Jens Lehmann
What a way to start.
The eccentric German ‘keeper has led a quiet life since hanging up his gloves following a brief return to Arsenal in 2011…
Not. Last September he made headlines for being fined €135,000 by a court in Germany for damaging his neighbour’s garage with a chainsaw. Beautiful stuff.
We wouldn’t have expected any less from one of the most volatile characters in Arsenal’s recent history.
On the pitch, he’s served as a goalkeeping coach at Arsenal, an assistant at Augsburg and a board member at Hertha Berlin.
Most recently, he’s signed up as a coach of the newly-launched Baller League.
RB: Emmanuel Eboue
With Invincibles icon Lauren struggling with injuries, Eboue established his place in Wenger’s plans and became something of a cult hero.
After leaving Arsenal in 2011, the Ivorian spent four years out in Turkey with Galatasaray before a short-lived return to the Premier League with Sunderland amounted to zero appearances. He retired in 2016.
There have been several reports about Eboue’s private life – including claims he went bankrupt following a costly divorce – all of which he’s refuted.
Eboue no longer plays an active role in football but he does make appearances in the media and is looking forward to this 2025 rematch.
“We beat Madrid, and all of us were so happy,” Eboue told mybettingsites.co.uk.
“This Arsenal team can do the same.”
CB: Philippe Senderos
The Swiss defender was much maligned in his time, but he barely put a foot wrong home or away against Los Blancos.
He represented seven more clubs after leaving the Gunners in 2010, only retiring in 2019 following a short stint back in Switzerland with Chiasso.
Senderos later served as sporting director at boyhood club Servette and is now back working under Wenger in a role as a ‘high performance specialist’ for FIFA.
“I remember that game very much because my dad is Spanish and is a Real Madrid fan, so for me it was like living one of my dreams playing against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu,” Senderos told Mirror Football.
“Now the first leg is at home, but preparing for a game like this, the pressure around this game, at the time really I would say the expectation from us was trying to do our best against the Galacticos.
“The pressure was more on Real Madrid to really perform and we were a bit the outsiders, I would say.
“We prepared like we did for every European game, going into it knowing what we were good at, knowing that we could hit them, and it worked out alright!”
CB: Kolo Toure
A fan favourite at numerous clubs, Toure saw out his playing career at Celtic and went straight into coaching, learning the ropes under Brendan Rodgers.
The former defender was appointed Wigan Athletic’s manager in November 2022 but he only lasted a couple of months in the job.
LB: Mathieu Flamini
Somehow, Lehmann going on a mad one with a chainsaw might not be the most interesting post-retirement story in this XI.
Some reports suggest that Flamini’s net worth is now £10billion(!) after co-founding an immensely successful biochemicals company.
The likes of Thomas Gravesen (who featured for the opposition that night), Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen have done alright for themselves with their financial dealings after football, but none of them can hold a candle to Flamini.
RW: Freddie Ljungberg
After an ill-fated move to West Ham that never really worked out, Ljungberg went on a magical mystery tour in the twilight years of his playing career.
The former Sweden international played in MLS (Seattle Sounders, Chicago Fire), Scotland (Celtic) and Japan (Shimizu S-Pulse) before coming out of retirement in 2014 to make a handful of appearances in the Indian Super League for Shimizu S-Pulse.
Ljungberg served as a youth coach back at Arsenal between 2016 and 2019 before a brief caretaker stint prior to Mikel Arteta’s revolution.
He’s now managing in the Baller League in a management team with Lehmann and Robert Pires.
CM: Cesc Fabregas (Alex Song, ’90)
Lamine Yamal’s incredible form for Barcelona got us thinking about football’s greatest-ever teenagers. Fabregas – just 18 when he bossed the midfield at the Bernabeu – is surely up there.
Silverware was lacking at Arsenal, but he went on to win league titles with Barcelona and Chelsea – as well as the World Cup and two Euros with Spain – in a brilliant career that lived up to his frightening potential.
Fabregas saw out his playing days in Serie B with Como, and he’s now managing the club in the Italian top flight.
His late replacement that night followed in his footsteps to the Camp Nou but wasn’t quite as successful in Catalonia. Song ended his career in Djibouti, of all places, with Arta/Solar7, retiring in 2023.
DM: Gilberto Silva
The Brazilian left London in 2008 but enjoyed more success in his latter years, winning the Greek double with Panathinaikos in 2009-10 and the Copa Libertadores with Atletico Mineiro (alongside Ronaldinho) in 2013.
Gilberto never went into coaching, instead serving as a pundit for ESPN and the BBC during World Cups.
He briefly worked as a technical director back at Panathinaikos in 2017, and nowadays he serves as an ambassador for FIFA and Arsenal.
QUIZ: Can you name every Brazilian to play for Arsenal in the Premier League?
CM: Alexander Hleb (Robert Pires, ’76)
One of four players from this XI that signed for Barcelona – winning at the Bernabeu is evidently one way to impress them – Hleb never quite worked out over there.
The midfielder kept playing until his late thirties with no fewer than four separate stints back at BATE Borisov interspersed with short-lived spells in Turkey and Russia.
Pires made over a hundred appearances for Villarreal after leaving Arsenal.
A career in coaching never materialised, but as previously mentioned, he’s dabbing his hand at management in the Baller League.
LW: Jose Antonio Reyes (Abou Diaby, ’80)
Reyes tragically passed away at just 35 years of age in a car crash in 2019, while he was still playing professionally for Extremadura.
“I am devastated to hear the terrible news about Jose,” Wenger responded in a statement at the time.
“To his family and friends, all support from everyone in the Arsenal family. He will remain forever in our hearts.”
Late substitute Diaby made 180 appearances for the Gunners, but it ought to have been considerably more were it not for rotten luck with injuries.
A move to Marseille in 2015 failed to kickstart his career and he retired at the age of 32 in 2017. He’s kept a low profile since hanging up his boots.
ST: Thierry Henry
Henry’s performance that night is the stuff of legend.
The legendary Frenchman’s outrageous solo goal won the match, as well as the tie. Arguably his finest hour for the Gunners.
“As soon as we are not scared to play good football we can do it and at the back we were tremendous,” Henry said in his post-match interview that night.
“What some of the young players did at their age at the Bernabeu was amazing. We have only won one game and we have to stay calm and focused.”
Inspirational words for Arteta’s young Gunners to live by in 2025. It’ll be interesting to see what he makes of this year’s clash in his role as a pundit on American channel CBS Sports.
READ NEXT: Throwback: Thierry Henry destroys Sergio Ramos for Barca & Arsenal
TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every player to score 5+ Champions League goals for Arsenal?