The worst night in Arsenal’s competitive memory saw Thierry Henry fail in the Champions League final to make the difference and lift the trophy. Losing to Barcelona in Paris in 2006 will be an infamous night in the club’s history.
As Real Madrid and captain Karim Benzema prepared to face Liverpool in the same city, the Frenchman had the chance to make right what the Arsenal legend got wrong. His international teammate Hugo Lloris also failed in his attempt against Liverpool in 2019.
Henry and Lloris were both captains of a non-French side in the final and failed to win. Benzema went into the game as the next Les Bleus star with the chance to turn the trend around.
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Despite, and rather surprisingly, not getting on the scoresheet, Benzema lifted the trophy after securing a 1-0 win over Liverpool. A Vinicius Junior striker, the player who has set up so many of his captain’s goals, was enough to seal the win, thanks to some fantastic stops from Thibaut Courtois in the Real Madrid goal.
It is fair to say that Benzema has been the among the best players on the planet this season. Despite playing at the ripe age of 34, the Frenchman has shown that he hasn’t lost any of his clinical quality.
The win also saw Carlo Ancelotti become the most successful manager in the competition’s history after winning his fourth Champions League. Arsenal will be looking on tonight with hopes and dreams of emulating Los Blancos.
However, the reality is they are some way off. The transfer window will be huge and ensuring top quality comes into the team this summer will be integral to the Gunners hopes of closing the gap.