Arsenal's starting XI in last Champions League quarters- and where they are now
Arsenal secured their place in the quarter-final of the Champions League for the first time since 2010 after seeing off Porto on penalties during a dramatic night at the Emirates.
Trailing 1-0 after the first leg in Portugal, Arsenal opened the scoring and levelled the tie just before half-time through Leandro Trossard. Neither side could find the elusive winning goal during the 90 minutes and after extra time, meaning penalties were required to see who progressed through.
After David Raya made two excellent saves, it was the Gunners who booked their spot in the last eight. It's the first time Arsenal have reached this stage in 14 years after that side - managed by legendary manager Arsene Wenger - earned a 6-2 aggregate victory over Porto.
They beat the Portuguese side 5-0 in the second leg thanks to a hat-trick from Nicklas Bendtner and goals from Samir Nasri and Emmanuel Eboue. Where is that side now? Here, Mirror Football has taken a look at the starting XI from that game and where they are now...
Manuel Almunia
Almunia joined the Gunners in July 2004 as back-up to Jens Lehman after they went the entire Premier League season unbeaten. He settled for second-choice during his first couple of years at the club, before stamping down the No.1 spot heading into the 2007/08 season.
Mikel Arteta's dream Arsenal line up as last-gasp January transfers are secured
In total, Almunia made 175 appearances during a successful seven-year stay at the Emirates before leaving to join West Ham. The Spaniard later played for Watford before retiring from football due to medical advice in 2014. Almost 10 years on and Almunia is now a coach at Al Jazira in Abu Dhabi.
Bacary Sagna
After impressing in his native France, Sagna moved to Arsenal from Auxerre in July 2007. He was a regular in the Gunners side for several seasons, clocking more than 250 appearances before moving to Manchester City. Sagna didn't last long at the Etihad, however, leaving after three years.
Sagna would go on to have spells at Benevento andMontreal Impact before hanging up his boots and moving into a completely new industry. He pumped £220,000 of his own money into French backpack company Gravipack and has now partnered with the company that sells 'weightless rucksacks' for £200.
Bacary Sagna playing for Arsenal in 2010 (Getty Images)Thomas Vermaelen
The Belgian, who moved to Arsenal from Ajax in June 2009, endured his fair share of injury problems during his time at the Emirates. He was restricted to just 150 appearances in five years before moving to Barcelona. Vermaelen kept playing until 2022 after further stints at Roma and Vissel Kobe.
After retiring, Vermaelen joined Roberto Martinez's coaching staff in the Belgium national team ahead of the 2022 World Cup. But the tournament went disastrously for the Red Devils and they were eliminated at the group stage after failing to win any of their three matches.
Martinez was sacked soon after and has since become the new boss of Portugal. As for Vermaelen, he is now eagerly waiting for his next coaching role.
Sol Campbell
Campbell returned for a second spell at the Gunners in January 2010 after leaving Notts County. He made 14 appearances during a short six-month stay in north London before moving to Newcastle. However, the ex-England defender left the club in 2011 and retired from professional football a year later.
Since retiring from football, Campbell ran for the Conservative Party nomination for Mayor of London in 2016 but did not make the final shortlist. Campbell then dipped into football management, taking charge of Macclesfield in 2018 and then Southend during the following season.
Sol Campbell returned to Arsenal for a second spell in 2010 (Getty Images)Gael Clichy
Having come through the ranks at Cannes, Clichy moved to Arsenal in 2003 and he was part of the Invincibles side during his first season. He started his Gunners career as back-up to Ashley Cole before cementing his place in the team under Wenger. In the 2007/08 season, he featured in every Premier League game.
Clichy left Arsenal after 264 appearances and moved to Manchester City in the summer of 2011. The Frenchman spent six successful years at the Etihad, winning several major trophies before joining Istanbul Basaksehir. He ended his career following a stint at Servette and has since moved into coaching.
Arsenal lose eight players and sign three as January transfer window closes
He is now assistant to Gunners legend Thierry Henry for France Under 21s. Clichy also worked as a pundit for Sky Sports during the coverage of Arsenal's 3-1 win over Liverpool last month.
Samir Nasri
Having started his career at Marseille, Nasri moved to Arsenal in 2008 and he spent three successful years - scoring 15 goals in his final season - at the Emirates. However, his decision to join Manchester City in 2011 angered many Gunners fans and he has been unable to win them back ever since.
After six years and winning two Premier League titles at City, Nasri has had spells with Sevilla, Antalyaspor and West Ham before finishing his career at Anderlecht in 2020. Nasri has kept a relatively low profile in recent years but was confronted by a furious Arsenal supporter after attending their 1-0 win over City in October.
Samir Nasri starred for the Gunners against Porto (Getty Images)Alex Song
A shining light in Arsenal's midfield for six years, Song moved to Barcelona in 2012. He later admitted that his departure from the Gunners was due to the money on offer after struggling for game time at Barca. In fact, the midfielder spent two years at Camp Nou before joining West Ham on loan.
Song, who went on to feature for Rubin Kazan and Sion, only formally announced his retirement last year after spending the last three years of his playing career at Djibouti. Song is now a property developer in Cameroon.
Abou Diaby
The fourth and final Frenchman in the starting XI, Diaby could have achieved so much more if he had been able to stay fit and didn't have horrific luck with injuries. He made 180 appearances across nine years for the Gunners and hung up his boots in 2019 after a stint at Marseille.
He has since set up the Abou Diaby Foundation and is eager to make a success of the project, which fights poverty in Africa and Asia by providing jobs and opportunities for people to earn a living.
Abou Diaby in action for Arsenal against Porto in 2010 (Getty Images)Tomas Rosicky
A cult hero in north London, Rosicky spent a decade at Arsenal and made 247 appearances during a successful stint, scoring 28 goals and winning the FA Cup twice. He returned to where it all started at Sparta Prague for the final year of his playing career - and that's where he is now.
Rosicky initially began as an assistant to sporting director Zdenek Scasny, before taking over that role in December 2018 when Scasny became head coach. Sparta are currently four points clear at the top of the league and face Liverpool in the Europa League last 16 second-leg on Thursday.
Andrey Arshavin
Starting his career at Zenit Saint Petersburg, Arshavin made over 300 appearances for his boyhood club before moving to Arsenal in 2008. He produced some magical moments - none more so than scoring four goals in a 4-4 draw against Liverpool in April 2009 - during an entertaining four-year spell at the Emirates.
After leaving Arsenal, Arshavin returned to Zenit before his final move saw him join Kairat in Kazakhstan. He retired from professional football in 2018 and pledged to fight for Russia in their war against Ukraine if conscripted.
Andrey Arshavin spent four years at Arsenal (Getty Images)Nicklas Bendtner
A striker who provided sparse moments of quality, Bendtner is most renowned for his hat-trick against Porto. Following loan stints at Juventus and Sunderland, the Dane moved to Wolfsburg on a permanent deal following the expiry of his contract after scoring 45 goals in 171 appearances at Arsenal.
However, Bendtner's career has slowly declined since. He had spells at Nottingham Forest, Rosenborg and Copenhagen before stopping playing in 2019. He now hosts a Danish TV show, which sees pranks played on celebrities and members of the public.
and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
