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Where Are They Now? Arsenal's Invincibles
Whenever there’s a debate about the greatest Premier League team of all time, Arsenal’s Invincibles are always heavily involved in the discussion. With 26 wins, 12 draws and zero defeats, the Gunners swept to the title in style in 2003/04, becoming the first side to go unbeaten throughout an English top-flight campaign since Preston North End's 22-match season, 115 years previously.
In this slideshow, we look back at the north Londoners’ legendary squad and explore where they can be found now.
GK: Jens Lehmann (38 games)
The German is the only member of the side who played in all 38 league games in 2003/04, immediately becoming a stalwart between the posts in his first year at the club. He helped the Gunners win the league by a hefty 11-point margin over Chelsea, conceding only 26 goals in the process.
Lehman collected an FA Cup winner's medal the following season, before leaving Arsenal for Stuttgart in May 2008 and finally retiring at the age of 40 in 2010. He did, however, come out of retirement in March 2011 to help Arsenal through a goalkeeping injury crisis.
RB: Lauren (30+2 games)
Arsene Wenger signed Lauren from Mallorca as a midfielder in the summer of 2000, but the manager later convinced the Cameroonian his future was at right-back. Wenger recently said: “In Lauren and Ashley Cole, I had the two best full-backs in the world.”
He went on to earn the tag of “Mr Reliable”, playing 242 games for the Gunners before moving to Portsmouth in January 2007. There he won the FA Cup in 2008 but left at the end of the next season having managed just one appearance. He then signed for Spanish club Cordoba as a free agent in March 2010 and played only five times before drawing the curtains on his career.
CB: Kolo Toure (36+1 games, 1 goal)
Toure joined Arsenal in February 2002 but work permit issues forced him to wait until the start of the following season for his debut. He went on to make 326 appearances over seven seasons, leaving the Emirates Stadium in 2009 following a mid-season bust-up with William Gallas.
Toure went on to play for Manchester City, Liverpool and Celtic, winning four more major trophies and becoming an Invincible for a second time with the Glaswegian outfit in 2016/17. After retiring at the end of that season, the former Ivory Coast defender joined Celtic’s staff as a first team coach under Brendan Rodgers before following the boss to Leicester City earlier this year, while he’s also involved with his country’s Under-23 side.
LB: Ashley Cole (32 games)
After seven successful years with Arsenal, which included two Premier League titles and three FA Cups, youth graduate Cole crossed the London divide to join rivals Chelsea in 2006. The left-back added another glut of trophies to his collection, winning another Premier League title, four more FA Cups, the Europa League and the Champions League.
A stint at Roma didn’t go to plan, with Cole frozen out before his switch to LA Galaxy in MLS in 2016. He reunited with Frank Lampard at Derby at the start of the year before announcing his retirement at the end of the season.
RM: Freddie Ljungberg (27+3 games, 4 goals)
In his pomp, Ljungberg was a pivotal member of a free-flowing Gunners side who were always pleasing on the eye. Starting his career with local outfit Halmstads BK, the Swede earned a dream move to Arsenal in 1998, spending a successful decade in north London.
CM: Gilberto Silva (29+3 games, 4 goals)
Gilberto’s performances for Atletico Mineiro in Brazil led to him being a surprise call-up for the 2002 World Cup. An injury to Selecao captain Emerson opened the door for the holding midfielder, who went on to play every minute of every match as Luiz Felipe Scolari’s side captured a fifth world crown.
An outspoken advocate of footballers’ rights today, Gilberto is heavily involved in charity work – most notably with The Street League, an organisation which tackles homelessness. He also has a giant anteater named after him at London Zoo.
CM: Patrick Vieira (29 games, 3 goals)
Vieira played for both Milan clubs, Juventus and Manchester City, but Arsenal is the club he remains most heavily associated with. The midfielder was the leader and beating heart of the Invincibles side which swept to glory in 2003/04, with his vision and drive in the centre of the park vital to the Gunners’ success.
After ending his playing career with a season at City in 2010/11, the World Cup-winning Frenchman became the club’s Football Development Executive. He was promoted to the role of Elite Development squad manager in 2013, before taking charge of the City Football Group's MLS club New York City FC three years later. Vieira joined Ligue 1 side Nice in the summer of 2018 and led the club to seventh place in his debut season.
LM: Robert Pires (33+3 games, 14 goals)
Pires’ time at Arsenal came to a sad end, with the Frenchman substituted in the 18th minute of the 2006 Champions League final following Jens Lehmann’s early red card. There was no doubt he’d been an overwhelming success at Highbury, though, winning two league titles and three FA Cups in his six-year stay.
After four seasons in Spain with Villarreal, Pires returned to England to team up with Aston Villa boss Gerard Houllier. Things didn’t really go to plan, though, with the winger making just 16 appearances before being released in May 2011; he followed that up with a forgettable spell with Indian Super League side FC Goa, which lasted just eight games.
Pires has done regular punditry work since retiring, while he revealed in 2016 that his goal was to become Arsenal’s sporting director.
ST: Dennis Bergkamp (21+7 games, 4 goals)
The Amsterdam-born striker was brought to London by Bruce Rioch, before the arrival of Arsene Wenger, and went on to establish himself as one of Arsenal’s greatest ever players. Bergkamp spent 11 years with the club in total, scoring 120 goals in 423 matches and winning three Premier League titles; numbers alone don’t do justice to his genius, however, with the Dutchman one of the most gifted footballers to have ever plied their trade on English soil.
After retiring in 2006, Bergkamp focused on travelling and spending time with his family. Following a two-year hiatus from football, he began a coaching diploma for former Dutch footballers and took up a role with Ajax’s academy in 2008. After the promotion of Frank de Boer to first-team manager two years later, Bergkamp was appointed Ajax's assistant boss, but his role was reduced after Peter Bosz’s arrival and he was later sacked in December 2017
Sub: Edu (12+17 games, 2 goals)
Edu’s Arsenal debut in 2001 was marred by injury – which would become the story of his time in England. That he somehow managed 27 appearances in all competitions during his first season – in which he also picked up a league and cup double – was, in hindsight, no small feat.
Edu kept himself fit for most of 2003/04, but he was never really able to establish himself as a first-team regular. The Brazilian still made 29 league appearances as the Gunners won the league, though, and his Arsenal career ended on a high as Arsene Wenger’s men won the FA Cup in 2005.
He then moved on to Valencia and Corinthians, before announcing his retirement in 2011. The 37-year-old later became general coordinator of the Brazil national team, while he also assisted Iran boss Carlos Queiroz at the 2014 World Cup, and this summer he returned to Arsenal as the club’s first Technical Director.
Sub: Ray Parlour (12+10 games)
Parlour joined Arsenal as a youth academy player in 1989 and made his professional debut against Liverpool in January 1992. The former England international spent over 12 years with the club before becoming a key part of The Invincibles, even though he spent much of the season as a back-up to Vieira and Gilberto.
After winning two league titles, Parlour opted against renewing his contract with Arsenal and made the switch to Middlesbrough. There, he was fundamental to Steve McClaren’s side on their run to the 2006 UEFA Cup final, which they lost 4-0 to Sevilla.
Sub: Pascal Cygan (10+8 games)
Signed from Lille in the summer of 2002, Cygan never really staked a commanding claim for a regular first-team place. The defender did rack up 98 appearances in all competitions, though, and played a part in the unbeaten triumph of 2003/04.
Cygan was appointed as sporting director by French club ES Wasquehal in 2013, but he’s now back at Lille as part of the academy setup.
Sub: Jose Antonio Reyes (7+6 games, 2 goals)
Reyes moved to Arsenal in January 2004 for £10.5m, with optional add-ons potentially taking the deal to £17m. He scored two goals in his 13 appearances for the club in their victorious league campaign, but struggled to break into the starting line-up and continued to suffer with homesickness in subsequent seasons.
Manager: Arsene Wenger
Life at Arsenal enjoyed a 180-degree turnaround when Wenger came aboard in 1996, though the arrival of an obscure Frenchman whose latest job had been in Japan initially had fans scratching their heads.
Today, though, Wenger is easily one of the most recognisable figures ever to be associated with the Premier League. After Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, the former Monaco boss became the longest-serving manager in the league.
Wenger’s record of success – three Premier League titles, six FA Cups and six Community Shields – speaks for itself, but the trophies dried up and the frustration grew before his departure in the summer of 2018.
