VIDEO: Ex-Arsenal Chief David Dein Shares Amazing Story Highlighting 'Strength' of Invincibles Squad
Former Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein has shared an amazing story about the Gunners' famed 'Invincibles' squad of the 2003/2004 Premier League season.
Speaking to French television channel SFR Sport, Dein spoke of the the togetherness of the Arsenal team off the pitch as key to their success on it.
Dein was asked about the camaraderie of the players and explained how the players had an unspoken brotherly bond between them.
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"In 2014 for the World Cup I was in Brazil and I hosted a dinner one evening for three of our former Brazilian players. Gilberto Silva, Edu and Sylvinho," he explained.
"I said to Gilberto tell me about the Invincibles, give me a sense of what it was really like to play for that team."
"Mr Dein, I will give you an example," Gilberto Silva replied. "He said when we were in the tunnel waiting to go out to the game, he said we would all be in a line. So we would have Patrick Vieira as captain in front, then there would be Thierry [Henry], then Jens Lehmann, then myself then Dennis [Bergkamp] then Lauren.
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"And then he said just before we went on the pitch, Patrick Vieira would turn to Henry and with a knowing nod as if to say we were going to do it today. Thierry passed that nod to me [Gilberto], I’d pass it to Jens and it would be going down choreographed all the guys one after the other as if they gave themselves strength before the game.
"Then they would look over to the opposition, they could see them lining up and they sensed that there was literally fear in their eyes. We knew we could beat them, and he said we gave each other strength. It is a wonderful story.”
Dein's favourite ever Arsenal players, Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, and Patrick Vieira were all pivotal to the success of the Invincibles. The former vice-chairman, who worked at Arsenal from 1983 to 2007 also believes that Arsenal's unbeaten streak that season will never be matched.
