Arsenal made history in May 2006, becoming the first London club to contest the Champions League final.
The Gunners faced Barcelona in the Paris showcase, but didn’t get off to a good start as Jens Lehmann saw red within 20 minutes for a foul outside the ear. But a shock looked on when they took a lead into half-time courtesy of Sol Campbell’s goal.
Arsenal’s 10 men managed to hold on for 30 minutes after the break, but Samuel Eto’o finally found a way through to equalise. Just four minutes later, Barcelona had turned the final on its head, with Juliano Belletti poking in from a tight angle.
Arsene Wenger’s men were unable to find a way back in the final 10 minutes, ending the night in heartache. And they wouldn’t reach another Champions League final until 2026.
But what happened to the starters of the 2006 Champions League final?
Arsenal
GK: Jens Lehmann
Jens Lehmann was known for his character, and he stayed at Arsenal for a further two seasons after the final. The German goalkeeper still holds the record for the most consecutive clean sheets in the Champions League, going 10 straight games without conceding during 2005-06.
He was widely thought to be the Gunners’ best goalkeeper since David Seaman, and has potentially only recently been usurped there by David Raya. Lehmann left to play for Stuttgart but returned to the Emirates following a goalkeeping injury crisis. Since retiting, Lehmann has tried his hand at coaching — including at Arsenal. He has also worked as a pundit and is currently involved in Baller League UK.
RB: Emmanuel Eboue
Emmanuel Eboue was a mainstay at Arsenal between 2004 and 2011, making 214 appearances across all competitions. He left for Galatasaray and spent four years in Turkey, playing just over 100 times and picking up two league titles and a Turkish Cup.
The Ivorian returned to England with Sunderland but his stay was extremely brief, and he didn’t make an appearance for the Black Cats due to a ban from football. He has suffered since leaving the game, having run into financial problems due to a divorce and bad investment decisions.
CB: Kolo Toure
The second Ivorian of the Arsenal lineup that evening, Kolo Toure was a key player for the Gunners during his time at the club.
Toure attracted a lot of attention and was snapped up by Manchester City in 2009 for £14million. He would later join Liverpool and Celtic, where he became a coach under Brendan Rodgers. Toure followed Rodgers to Leicester before testhing his hand at management with Wigan Athletic. He returned to Man City in 2024, first working in their academy before becoming one of Pep Guardiola’s assistants.
CB: Sol Campbell
Sol Campbell was one of Arsenal’s greatest defenders, and also an England mainstay. The 2006 Champions League final would be his last appearance for Arsenal during his first spell at the club.
He joined Portsmouth in 2006 and helped them win the FA Cup two years later, before making a solitary appearance for Notts County in an ill-fated move. Campbell returned to Arsenal briefly in 2010 and finished his playing career at Newcastle United.
Campbell turned to management and successfully oversaw Macclesfield Town’s great escape in 2018-19. They overturned a 10-point deficit to confirm League Two survival on the final day of the campaign. However, Campbell left the financially-troubled club in August 2019 and took over Southend United shortly after. He spent one season at Southend and was relegated, due to the league being curtailed in 2020. Cambpell hasn’t had another management job.
LB: Ashley Cole
Ashley Cole is one of England’s greatest ever left-backs, and he left Arsenal in ignominy after the 2006 Champions League final. He famously said he was left “trembling with anger” because the Gunners only offered him £55k a week.
Cole joined Chelsea at the start of the 2006-07 season and went on to make over 300 appearances for the Blues. He won a plethora of trophies in west London, including the Champions League in 2011-12. He followed that with spells at Roma, LA Galaxy and Derby County before retiring in 2019. Cole has had coaching roles at Derby, Chelsea, Everton and Birmingham City as well as in the England setup. But he is now manager of Serie B side Cesena.
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RM: Robert Pires
Robert Pires was an Arsenal legend, but he was unhappy to be taken off after only 18 minutes of the final due to Lehmann’s red card.
The Frenchman left Arsenal in the summer and joined Villarreal, where he played for four years. He retired to England for a brief spell at Aston Villa in the 2010-11 campaign. Pires was out of football for a while but returned in 2014 to play for Goa — at the age of 40 — helping to launch the new Indian Super League.
Like many, Pires moved into coaching including a role at Arsenal. He also joined Lehmann in managing a Baller League UK team, but left after one season.
CM: Gilberto Silva
Gilberto Silva was a popular figure at Arsenal, and offered the kind of midfield grit they were missing for a long time after he left.
The Brazilian left the Emirates in 2008 and moved to Greek side Panathinaikos, before finishing his career in his native Brazil. He has had punditry roles since retiring.
CM: Cesc Fabregas
Cesc Fabregas was a key player for Arsenal, and widely considered their standout star during his time at the club.
The Spaniard left in 2011 to return to boyhood club Barcelona, playing 151 times across three seasons. Fabregas returned to England in 2014, joining Chelsea. He made almost 200 appearances for the west London club, lifting two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and EFL Cup.
Fabregas left Chelsea to join Moncao, and then retired after a year at Como. He is still at Como, now managing the Serie A side.
LM: Alexander Hleb
Leaving Arsenal was not the best career move for Alexander Hleb. The Belarusian international certainly never hit the heights of form that he achieved while in London. Funnily enough, it was Barcelona again that came in for him, signing Hleb in 2008.
Following his time in Spain, Hleb moved to Russia and then home to play for BATE Borisov. He flitted between Turkey and Belarus before returning in 2019. Of course, Hleb also had a loan spell with Birmingham in 2010-11 — beating Arsenal in the EFL Cup final.
SS: Freddie Ljungberg
Freddie Ljungberg, who was also an underwear model, was anything but pants during his time at Arsenal. His energetic display and verstaility made him a popular figure while in north London.
The Swede left Arsenal in 2007 to join West Ham United, but injury problems marred his time at the club. He moved to MLS to play for Seattle Sounders, before joining Chicago Fire. Ljungberg retired in 2014 after brief spells in Scotland with Celtic, as well as in Japan and India. He returned to Arsenal as a coach in 2018 and was briefly caretaker manager following Unai Emery’s sacking in late 2019.
Ljungberg was another to join Lehmann and Pires at N5 FC in Baller League UK.
ST: Thierry Henry
The best striker ever to play for the club was a true Arsenal hero. Thierry Henry captained the Gunners during the 2006 Champions League final, and scored 228 goals in 377 appearances across two spells at the club.
He joined, you guessed it, Barcelona in 2007 and got his Champions League win. He headed to MLS to play for New York Red Bulls for five years before retiring. But not before a brief loan spell back at Arsenal in 2012.
Henry has tested his hand at management since retiring, including underwhelming roles at Monaco and Montreal Impact. He was also manager of France’s side at the 2024 Olympics. Henry had spells as assistant manager in Belgium’s national team, but is more known for his punditry work.
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Barcelona
GK: Victor Valdes
Victor Valdes probably should have played more for Spain, if it weren’t for a certain Iker Casillas. He made over 500 appearances for Barcelona before moving to England to play for Manchester United. But he only made two appearances due to a knee injury.
Valdes left Man Utd after 18 months but did have a loan spell with Standard Liege in Belgium. He remained in England for a season with Middlesbrough, before retiring in 2017. Valdes turned to management, most recently managing Real Avila for just four games.
RB: Oleguer
Oleguer was rather understated in his time with Barcelona, playing 175 times for the club. During that time, he won two La Liga titles as well as the 2006 Champions League.
He moved to Ajax in 2008 and remained there until his retirement in 2011.
CB: Carles Puyol
Carles Puyol is one of the best Spanish defenders in the history of the game, and he spent his entire playing career at Barcelona. Puyol epitomised the determination and effort that helped Spain win at a national level and Barcelona win both domestically and in Europe.
His trophy cabinet speaks for itself winning six La Liga titles and three Champions League crowns. He became a club ambassador but turned down an offer to become sporting director in September 2019.
CB: Rafael Marquez
Rafael Marquez is considered the best defender Mexico has ever produced. He carried on playing long after his spell in Spain, going on to represent New York Red Bulls in MLS and Hellas Verona in Italy.
Marquez finally retired in 2018, after one final spell at boyhood club Atlas. He turned to coaching and will become the next manager of the Mexican national team after the 2026 World Cup.
LB: Giovanni van Bronckhorst
Giovanni van Bronckhorst was a fine player, well known for his ability to get forward as well as his technical prowess. The Dutch full-back had played for Arseanl before he joined Barca, and left for Feyenoord in 2007. He went on to manage the Dutch outfit for four years.
But Van Bronckhorst left at the end of the 2018-19 season, returning to management with Chinese side Guangzhou R&F. He then went on to manage Rangers, leading them to the 2022 Europa League final. After an unsuccessful spell with Besiktas, Van Bronckhorst took a step down and is currently assistant to Arne Slot at Liverpool.
DM: Edmilson
Edmilson was a solid, if unspectacular, player during his time at Barcelona, playing 45 minutes of the final.
He had a poor season in 2007-08 and was released by the Spanish giants. Edmilson moved between Brazil and Spain over the next few seasons, but never reached previous form as his career wound down. He is now a technical consultant of Brazilian club Sao Caetano.
CM: Deco
Deco was one of the most graceful Portuguese midfielders of modern times and was part of a golden generation of players to come from the nation.
He was a key play in the Barcelona midfield and made 161 appearances before moving on to play for Chelsea in the English Premier League. He spent the last four seasons of his career playing in Brazil before retiring in 2013 due to a hamstring injury. Deco is now back at Barcelona as sporting director.
CM: Mark van Bommel
The engine room of the Barcelona midfield, Mark van Bommel was a brilliant, hard-tackling midfielder and the key enforcer allowing Deco the freedom to create.
His one season in Spain was followed by successful spells with Bayern Munich and AC Milan. Van Bommel tested himself as a manager, spending just over a year in charge of PSV. He had a brief spell at Wolfsburg and was most recently in charge of Royal Antwerp, leading them to Belgian Pro League glory.
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RW: Ludovic Giuly
Ludovic Giuly was of Corsican decent and this Champions League final win was one of the highlights of his career.
He was perhaps the biggest victim when a certain Lionel Messi burst onto the scene and moved on to play for Roma before finishing his career in France with Monts d’Or Azergues Foot who named their stadium after him.
LW: Ronaldinho
The best player in the world at one point, Ronaldinho is a legend of the modern game. His 94 goals in 204 games while in Spain were followed by spells with AC Milan and four different clubs back home in Brazil.
An icon of his generation, Ronaldinho later career was marred by reports of lack of effort and ill-discipline but when at his best he was simply unplayable.
ST: Samuel Eto’o
Arguably the best player ever to come out of Africa, Samuel Eto’o was such a prolific goalscorer during his time at Barca, including one in this final against Arsenal, and would net 130 times in 199 appearances for the club.
The Cameroornian legend left Barcelona in 2009 to join Inter Milan in a deal that saw Zlatan Ibrahimovic go the other way. He famously moved to Russian side Anzhi in 2011 for a wage reported to be around £300,000 per week making him the highest paid player in the world at the time.
Eto’o retired in 2019 after some more globetrotting, including spells at Chelsea, Everton, Sampdoria and Qatar SC. He is now president of the Cameroonian Football Federation.
