The perception when Robert Pires joined Arsenal in 2000 was that the team was already complete. But the Frenchman provided that final touch of class that made them one of the Premier League’s greatest ever outfits.
Pires was a relatively late arrival to the attack which would go on to spearhead the Invincibles. By the time he arrived from Marseille in the summer of 2000, Dennis Bergkamp had been at Arsenal for five years, Freddie Ljungberg for two and Thierry Henry for around 11 months.
Arriving as a replacement for another gloriously elegant player, Marc Overmars, Pires was won over to Arsenal’s cause despite strong interest from Real Madrid and Juventus, drawn to the club by its French connection and the guiding hand of Arsene Wenger.
Read the article at Planet Football.
The post An ode to Robert Pires: the final hint of class in Arsenal’s Invincibles appeared first on Football365.