Arsenal's Invincibles now - Musician, boxer and helicopter crash near miss
The Premier League has been graced by many a fine team down the years, but not many come close to the Arsenal Invincibles.
The team assembled by the legendary Arsene Wenger not only won the Premier League crown in the 2003/04 campaign, they did so by going the entire season unbeaten. Two decades on, the iconic feat has not been matched.
But what happened to the fabled team that achieved the impossible? Some stayed on, some left. Some enjoyed further success whilst others faded into obscurity. Here, Mirror Football gives you the rundown on what some of Arsenal's Invincibles have been up to since etching their name into the Premier League history books...
Jens Lehmann
The iconic German goalkeeper's feisty character gave us some great moments down the years, but he was also a supremely talented shot-stopper, so it should come as no surprise to learn he continued to ply his trade at a top level after leaving Arsenal.
He spent two years at Stuttgart before returning to Arsenal briefly in 2011 - a year after retiring. Since hanging up his gloves, Lehmann has held different coaching roles and enjoyed a stint on Hertha Berlin's advisory board.
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Lauren
Lauren spent another two years at Arsenal after partaking in the Invincibles season before joining the Gunners' Premier League rivals, Portsmouth.
During his time at Fratton Park, Lauren won another FA Cup before retiring in 2010. He has since enjoyed a spell as a La Liga pundit and was appointed as a FIFA technical expert for talent development across Africa last year.
Kolo Toure
Kolo Toure had a brief spell as the manager of Wigan Athletic after his retirement from football (Getty Images)Toure continued his playing career for years after the Invincibles season and had spells at Manchester City, Liverpool and Celtic.
He would then move into coaching after hanging up his boots, working alongside Brendan Rodgers at Celtic and Leicester. Toure had a brief stint as a No.1 in his own right with Wigan Athletic but lasted just nine matches before being sacked.
Justin Hoyte
Hoyte made 68 appearances in total for Arsenal and went on to play for the likes of Middlesbrough and Millwall after leaving the Gunners in 2008.
After hanging up his boots, Hoyte became the CEO of a company called Future Champions Sports Group Limited and shared a video snap of him sparring in a boxing ring back at the start of 2023.
Sol Campbell
Arguably Arsenal's most famous signing, Campbell continued to play at a Premier League level before retiring from football in 2011. Since then, Campbell has had a varied career.
He did dabble in management and won plenty of plaudits for his work at crisis club Macclesfield Town but failed to replicate that at Southend United. Campbell has also dabbled with politics and recently admitted he had no plans to return to the dugout.
Ashley Cole
Ashley Cole is also a coach and is Wayne Rooney's assistant at Birmingham CityNot long after the Invincibles season, Cole left Arsenal under a cloud to join London rivals Chelsea. He continued playing up until 2019 following stints in the EFL and the MLS.
Cole has since moved into coaching; he spent time on England Under-21s coaching staff and also worked under Frank Lampard at Everton. He is currently one of Wayne Rooney's assistant coaches at Everton.
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Freddie Ljungberg
Swedish midfielder Ljungberg had spells in the MLS and India before hanging up his boots for good. He did return to Arsenal, though, in a coaching capacity.
Ljungberg had a brief stint as interim boss before Mikel Arteta's arrival and was held in high regard for his impressive work with the clubs youth groups. He left the club again in 2020.
Patrick Vieira
Vieira was another ex-Gunner who turned out for Manchester City after leaving London - and he also tried his hand at management as part of The City Football Group too.
Vieira has had stints coaching in America and France before he landed a Premier League job with Crystal Palace. The Eagles sacked him last year, though. Vieira is the current head coach of Ligue 1 outfit Strasbourg.
Edu
Edu now works alongside Mikel Arteta at Arsenal in an executive role (Getty Images)Edu not only enjoyed a distinguished playing career at Arsenal, but he's also won plaudits for his work since returning to the club as technical director.
The Brazilian has played an influential in rebuilding the club alongside Arteta and has a big say in the club's transfer strategy.
Robert Pires
Like Ljungberg, Pires also spent time in India before calling time on his own iconic playing career. He also spent time coaching but has also done media work.
Pires outlined earlier this year that he was keen to become a head coach in his own right after helping out at his former club on a few occasions down the years.
Quincy Owusu-Abeyie
Quincy Owusu-Abeyie gave up football to pursue a rapping career (itsblowmusic/Instagram)While Owusu-Abeyie didn't have a prominent role in the Invincibles season, he was a highly-rated prospect and broke through at the Emirates.
After playing for a host of different clubs post-Arsenal, Owusu-Abeyie actually ventured into the music industry and released a number of tracks under the guise of "Blow". His identity was eventually revealed in 2020 and he quit football to pursue a full-time rapping career.
Dennis Bergkamp
A Dutch legend in every sense of the word, Bergkamp is another former Gunner who moved into the world of coaching after hanging up his boots.
He had a six-year stint at Ajax as assistant manager before leaving the role in 2017. He told Dutch media this week that he is "itching to get back into football" after a period away from the game.
Sylvain Wiltord
Wiltord was the ace up Wenger's sleeve for the majority of his Arsenal career, but he went on to endure a fairly chastening ordeal after leaving football behind.
During a stint on a celebrity reality show that Wiltord was participating in (Dropped), 10 people died after two helicopters collided in Argentina. Wiltord would later express his sadness at the tragic events.
Thierry Henry
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry is now the head coach of the France Under-21 team and a renowned media pundit (Baptiste Fernandez/Icon Sport via Getty Images)The GOAT, Henry did return for a fleeting loan spell after leaving Arsenal for the first time and has returned frequently to the club for media work since retiring.
Alongside Kate Abdo, Micah Richards and Jamie Carragher, Henry is a part of the hugely popular CBS Sports crew who provide coverage of the Champions League. Henry is also the head coach of the France Under-21 team and has held coaching roles with the Belgium national team in the past.
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