Cast your minds back to May 17, 2006 at the Stade de France in Paris.
Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal are just 15 minutes away from their first-ever Champions League title, leading 1-0 against Barcelona following a backs-to-the-wall performance which saw them reduced to ten men after just 18 minutes when goalkeeper Jens Lehmann was sent off.
Barca boss Frank Rijkaard rolled the dice and made his third and final substitution on 71 minutes, replacing Oleguer with Juliano Belletti and within five minutes the scores were level, as Samuel Eto’o finally breached the Gunners defence.
Belletti recalls his Champions League winner
Four minutes later, Belletti sealed Barcelona’s second European title, but only after a rollercoaster evening in the French capital.
“When I saw I wasn’t playing, I felt frustrated, but it didn’t last very long,” he recalls to FourFourTwo. “Arsenal were a great team and we went in at half-time 1-0 down, even though Jens Lehmann had been sent off.
“I came on after 71 minutes, just before Samuel Eto’o equalised and Arsenal started to fall apart.
“A few minutes later, Henrik Larsson found me with a pass and I hit the ball with my whole soul.
“When I saw it go in, I wanted to stand up to celebrate but my body wouldn’t let me because of the emotion.
“It was my first goal in a Barcelona shirt, and one of the most important goals in the club’s history.”
The Champions League win capped a memorable season for Belletti at Barcelona, with the club also winning the La Liga title.
Two years later, Belletti would again find himself in the Champions League final, this time with Chelsea, and although he scored his spot-kick in the penalty shootout, the Blues were beaten to the trophy by Manchester United.
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