In the space of a week the mood has changed, with positive energy replacing suffering, and two trophies are suddenly within reach
It was a soundbite designed to go viral, the kind the ex-pros in the TV studios are always looking to confect; snappy, heavy on hyperbole, bang in the moment. Thierry Henry made it pop on Tuesday night as he interviewed Bukayo Saka on CBS Sports after Arsenal had beaten Atlético Madrid to advance to the Champions League final. “We were the Invincibles. You will be the Unforgettables,” Henry said.
There it was, as laid out by one of the greats, the goalscoring hero of Arsenal’s unbeaten bolt to the 2004 Premier League title, the last one they won.
Saka, who scored the winner in the second leg at a delirious Emirates Stadium, and his teammates can see the path to glory. Actually, it is more than that. It would be immortality. Because if they can hold off Manchester City to win the league and add the Champions League in Budapest on 30 May, it would top anything any group of Arsenal players has achieved.
It is not as if Arsenal are well acquainted with European silverware. The Cup Winners’ Cup in 1994 and the Fairs Cup in 1970 are the extent of their successes. Both competitions are defunct. Henry and his team came closest to winning the biggest of them all in 2006 when they contested the Champions League final against Barcelona.
