From Nicklas Bendtner to Denilson, a look at where those one-time Arsenal stars have gone.
It has been seven years since Arsenal last got to the quarter-finals of the Champions League and on that occasion, just like many to follow, they were knocked out by Barcelona.
Having fought back to draw the first leg 2-2 at home thanks to a late Cesc Fabregas penalty, they were without their captain for the return and succumbed 4-1.
Here is the team that played last night, plus substitutes, and you will note all bar one have left the club…
Manuel Almunia
Believe it or not, Almunia is now 40 and has been retired for two years having finished his career at Watford.
In all he spent eight years at Arsenal and made 175 appearances, winning the FA Cup in 2005.
Bacary Sagna
Bacary Sagna in action during Manchester City’s Champions League last 16 exit
He left Arsenal in 2014 to join Manchester City on a free and remains at the Etihad today, being one of the more reoccurring members of a struggling defence.
He is set to become a free agent again this summer.
Thomas Vermaelen
He too left in 2014, being sold to Barcelona in his case, but he has endured a torrid time and made only 11 La Liga appearances in two years.
Injuries have made Thomas Vermaelen’s life miserable of late
Currently on loan at Roma, he’s started only four league games this season and at 31 his career is in danger of dissolving away.
Mikael Silvestre
His time at Arsenal was underwhelming and he was released at the end of that season, going on to play in Germany, the USA and India before retiring.
Until December of last year he was the director of football at Rennes, his first club.
Mikael Silvestre will be remembered for his time at Manchester United, not Arsenal
Gael Clichy
Like Sagna he is also at Manchester City and has twice won the Premier League with the Citizens as well as once with Arsenal.
Also like Sagna, he is out of contract in the summer.
Abou Diaby
He has only made ten appearances in a season twice in the seven years since this quarter-final, and left Arsenal in 2015.
Now on the treatment tables of Olympique Marseille, for whom he has played just six times since arriving in 2015.
Tomas Rosicky
After spending ten seasons with Arsenal, he’s returned to his homeland and, aged 36, is having one last hurrah with Sparta Prague.
Tomas Rosicky celebrates a Gunners win
Denilson
Once regarded as the next big thing, his Arsenal career was hugely disappointing and he went back to Brazil in 2011.
Now playing for Al Wahda in the UAE.
Samir Nasri
Samir Nasri is currently being investigated by Spanish anti-doping authorities
Another one who left to join Manchester City, Nasri is currently on loan at Sevilla and recently let Jamie Vardy get under his skin to the extent that he moved to headbutt the one-time Arsenal target and was sent off.
Fair to say he was not getting any sympathy from Gooners.
Theo Walcott
The only player still at Arsenal, Walcott scored in the first leg.
Theo Walcott scores a goal in this year’s Champions League
He still has not fulfilled his immense potential.
Nicklas Bendtner
The scorer of Arsenal goal in this match – and one that put them up 3-2 on aggregate – Bendtner has fallen on hard times of late.
Having joined Nottingham Forest in the summer, he scored only twice in 17 appearances and was sold to Norwegian champions Rosenborg earlier this month.
Arsene Wenger and Nicklas Bendtner in happier times
Subs: Lukasz Fabianski
The stopper never able to establish himself as Arsenal’s number one but has now done so at Swansea City.
Eduardo
The adopted Croatian was never quite the same after his injury and left that summer, going on to play in both Ukraine and Brazil, where he has recently joined Atletico Paranaense.
Emmanuel Eboue
Emmanuel Eboue most recently played for Galatasaray
The Ivorian has been without a club since FIFA banned him for a year for issues with paying an agent and he revealed to The Telegraph in a startling interview that he had considered suicide during this time.
Sol Campbell
Having retired in 2011, he has flirted with politics and tried to run as the Conservative candidate for London Mayor but was unsuccessful.
His latest role is as an assistant manager with Trinidad and Tobago.
Armand Traore
Teamed up with Bendtner at Forest this summer but has played fewer than a dozen times.
Fran Merida
Once billed as the club’s future, he is now a bit-part player for Osasuna.
Craig Eastmond
Craig Eastmond battles with one of Arsenal’s current starlets, Jeff Reine-Adelaide
Now 26, he recently lined up against the Gunners in the FA Cup for non-league Sutton United.
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