The best part of being an Arsenal fan is having frequent reasons to celebrate, as victories are common. Indeed, the club has been on the upper part of the EPL table in the past few seasons, but the runner-up position doesn’t seem fit for its greatness. The ball is still rolling in the 2024/2025 season, but the chances of coming out on top are getting more distant as Liverpool establishes its leadership.
However, it’s been over 20 years since the Gunners lifted the EPL trophy for the last time, and in a quite spectacular fashion, winning the 2003/2004 season back-to-back. Punters and dedicated websites like smartbettingguide.com wouldn’t have much trouble picking their sides whenever Arsenal was on the grass. While fans hope for the comeback of the days of glory, they can revive the season when the Gunners were nicknamed “The Invincibles.”
Numbers of Fame
A squad with names like Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Ashley Cole, and Jens Lehmann looks like something straight out of a video game, but Arsenal had those and more. It explains why opponents could only hope for a draw when standing in the way of the Gunners. Over 40 games, Arsenal won 28 and drew on 12; no, there wasn’t a single defeat that year.
Unsurprisingly, the club finished 11 points ahead of the runner-up, Chelsea, and 25 points ahead of Manchester Utd. More importantly, it isn’t like the Gunners were defeating weak opponents. Chelsea had names like Frank Lampard, Adrian Mutu, and Jerrel Hasselbaink, while Man Utd had Paul Scholes, Eric Djemba, Roy Keane, and Kleberson. There were excellent options for booking points, but none was quite like Arsenal.
The EPL has long been one of the most competitive leagues in the sport, in which context, being invincible really means something. The last time an English club could brag about invincibility was in the 1888/1889 season with the Preston North End, a club that doesn’t even exist anymore; that’s how rare this achievement is. Needless to say, the Premier League was much less competitive back then.
The winning spree started at the end of the 2002/2003 season when the Gunners gutted Southampton by 6×1 and Sunderland by 4×0, already hinting at the upcoming success. There were 49 games of invincibility, as the stunning campaign lasted until the ninth game of 2004/2005, an absolute record in English football.
The Legendary Squad
It all started with the coach, Arsene Wenger. After all, having talented players isn’t enough to achieve successful results, as the Brazilian national team persistently demonstrates. Wenger led the Gunners from 1996 to 2018, standing as the longest-serving coach in the club. He left the club for a good reason, though, becoming the Chief of Global Football Development at FIFA, a job he is undeniably fit for.
During his tenure, the Gunners collected several trophies, including the first-ever EPL title in 1997/1998 and seven FA Cups, more than any manager in English football. Not by chance, he was voted the Manager of the Year three times: 1998, 2002, and 2004. Still, the 2003/2004 season is arguably his most important achievement, and it’s surely unforgettable.
Here are some of the best players in the field during that period.
Thierry Henry
The French centre-forward and striker doesn’t require introductions. He was multiple times winner of the Golden Boot, Top Goal Scorer, Footballer of the Year, and Player of the Year, also having won a FIFA World Cup with the French national squad. His lethal attacks and counter-attacks made him score 39 times in only 51 games, a real game-changer.
Indeed, no one at the time could be his speed at shooting, passing, dribbling, or simply running around. He didn’t arrive at Arsenal as the force of nature he has become there; his time in Italian football with Juventus was less than impressive and lasted only one season. However, Wenger already knew his potential as they worked together at Monaco and happily paid GBP 11 million to bring him to the Gunners. Later, Henry was sold for GBP 16 million.
Dennis Bergkamp
The partnership between Thierry Henry and the Dutch midfielder Dennis Bergkamp infused fear into the hearts of their opponents and joy into their supporters’. The powerful duet would masterfully find impossible spaces in the opponents’ left centre-back, and even though it was a widely known trick, it was very difficult to stop them. The other side would often have to deal with a painful dilemma: leaving them unattended or running after them across the field, opening fatal spaces in their positions.
Indeed, there was an explosive chemistry between the two: Henry was a rising star with unparalleled physical prowess and technique, and Bergkamp was a seasoned player at the end of his career, known for his vision and wisdom. Bergkamp scored less than Henry but helped the Frenchman win countless goals, becoming an indispensable piece in Arsenal’s artillery.
Patrick Vieira
One doesn’t need to score dozens of goals to become unforgettable, and the Senegalese midfielder is a prime example of that. After all, captaining the Invincibles into such a historical campaign is no mean feat, and many considered him the driving force behind the Gunners. Unsurprisingly, he stayed in Arsenal long after that mythic season, lifting the Premier League trophy three times during his tenure.
Patrick Vieira made his name and fame for his remarkable work ethic and team spirit, turning a pool of talented players into a solid winning machine. According to Vieira, the key relied on the team’s self-belief that each game could result in victory or, at least, one point. He rightfully credited much of the club’s success to the duet Henry-Bergkamp, saying that “you’ll know something will happen” when such footballers played together.
Gilberto Silva
Despite his importance in the Invincible squad, the Brazilian midfielder Gilberto Silva is considered an unsung hero. Still, Gilberto Silva was living a very special moment in his career. He was part of the Brazilian national team that won the 2002 FIFA World Cup, joining the Invincibles in the same year for a GBP 4.5 million deal with Atletico-MG, one of the biggest Brazilian clubs.
He started with the right foot, scoring the winning goal over Liverpool in the 2002 Community Shield, instantly becoming a key player in the squad. Gilberto Silva played in 32 out of the 40 matches in the Premier League 2003/2004 season, which was enough for him to score four times; not bad for a midfielder. Later on, he would become an absolute star, scoring a goal in the Champions League in 20 seconds, the quickest goal in the history of the competition.
Ashley Cole
If the Gunners had unmatched firepower, their defence was equally impressive and no less important. Thierry Henry scored 39 goals alone, but the club conceded only 26 that season. Ashely Cole is considered a cornerstone in the wall protecting the Gunners’ back, along with Sol Campbell, Kolo Touré, and the goalkeeper Jens Lehmann. Ashley Cole was a key figure organizing the left flank, bridging the gap between the back and Henry, often resulting in goals.
Achievements with the red and white jersey include three FA Cups, two EPL titles, and inclusions in the PFA Team of the Year four times: 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2001. Ashley Cole’s performance also granted him a position in England’s all-star team in the UEFA 2004. Despite his position, he didn’t shy away from scoring a crucial penalty goal against Manchester Utd for one of the FA Cup finals he disputed. Cole’s career includes four participations in FIFA World Cups, in 2002, 2006, and 2010.
Sol Campbell
Unquestionably, Arsenal’s defensive lineup was as lavish as its attack, which explains the club’s groundbreaking success that season. It was nearly impossible to cross the barrier Sol Campbell and Kolo Touré posed in the centre-back, where physical prowess is just as important as brains, and the pair had plenty of both. Sol Campbell played in nearly every match that season and, more importantly, with outstanding drive and stamina. There’s a reason why no team managed to flip the scores at the end of the game when everybody was already tired.
Perhaps Campbell’s most impressive achievement was never conceding the ball in the final 20 minutes during the long 49-match winning streak, an achievement he shared with his defensive colleagues. Sol Campbell won the Premier League and FA Cup twice and ran across the field to score a vital goal against Barcelona, helping the Gunners in the 2006 Champions League victory against the Spanish powerhouse, becoming one of the best defenders of an entire generation.
Kolo Touré
Arguably, the Ivorian centre-back was one of the Gunners’ best investments, leaving his home country club, ASEC Mimosas, for “just” GBP 150,000. In 2009, Touré was sold to Manchester Utd for the bagatelle of GBP 14 million. It’s easy to understand why Touré’s signing was considered one of Wenger’s cleverest moves. Touré was already a promising player back then, but he flourished under Wenger and became a wall between the opponents and Jens Lehmann.
At first, Touré was played in the midfield, where he scored the goal that secured a 1×1 draw at home. Still, he would deliver his finest results in the centre-back with Sol Campbell, creating a nearly inexpugnable defensive line. It’s not a coincidence that his first full season as a centre-back was precisely the 2003/2004. Like Campbell, he scored a life-saving goal in the Champions League during the semifinals against Villarreal.
Jens Lehmann
Many goalkeepers are (most unfairly) remembered when they make a mistake, but very few are remembered for making none. Jens Lehmann was already a pretty accomplished European football athlete when he arrived at Arsenal for a “modest” fee of GBP 1.5 million. Before then, he amassed a few titles in German football, defending top-flight clubs like Borussia Dortmund and, later on, helping AC Milan ascend to the top of Italian Serie A in 2001.
The controversial episode when he kicked a striker in the penalty box didn’t stop Wenger from bringing him in the best possible moment in July 2003, right at the beginning of the invincible season. Indeed, he played in every match, suffering only 26 goals over 40 matches, which rendered him the Golden Glove that year. Typically, goalkeepers tremble in penalty shoot-outs, but the shooters feared him in that position. Lehmann retired with a net worth of GBP 6 million after a brilliant career.
The End of an Era
Winning the Premier League back-to-back is a once-in-a-lifetime achievement, and if the Gunners never managed to pull this trick again, the Invincible Squad will be forever in the fans’ minds and hearts. With so many stars on the field, it’s not an exaggeration to say that Arsenal could beat most national squads of the time.
The invincibility dream came to an end in October 2004 against Manchester Utd, a defeat considered controversial by many. Fans claimed that the referee Mark Riley played as Man Utd’s 12th man on the field, given his glaring mistakes during that game. Mistakes included conceding a penalty to Man Utd over a supposed foul by Sol Campbell on Wayne Rooney and not red-carding for a violent move against Freddie Ljunberg, the last man standing between the Red Devils and the goal, resulting in a decisive advantage.
Mark Riley’s integrity was questioned, with many fans claiming that he took money to stop the Gunners’ invincible ride, calling the episode “a disgrace to his profession.” Due to the lack of evidence about bribery, Keith Hackett, the PGMOL chief at the time, blamed him for incompetence and lack of courage.
Anyway, the Gunners would never return to those glorious days, and it’s been a 22-year title fasting since. During this period, Arsenal finished second in EPL quite a few times, a result that will likely be repeated in the current season. Since 2003, the Gunners have lifted the FA Cup trophy five times, making it to the Champions League final in 2006.
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