Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has admitted his biggest regret of his career with the Gunners, and it’s not too surprising.
The Frenchman says he would name the 2006 Champions League final defeat to Barcelona as the biggest regret of his time with the club and a result that would have been his greatest achievement if they’d won it.
Arsenal went 1-0 up against Barca that night despite being down to ten men, with Sol Campbell heading home Thierry Henry’s free-kick.
However, late goals from Samuel Eto’o and Juliano Belletti completed the comeback for the Catalan giants, who had two slices of good fortune with an offside call and some dire goalkeeping from Manuel Almunia.
This is the only time Arsenal have ever reached a European Cup final and they beat some big names along the way to reaching the final in Paris that year.
Wenger still regrets the loss and reflected it on it in his press conference today as he prepares to step down at the end of the season after 22 years as Arsenal manager.
‘It was my biggest regret,’ Wenger is quoted in football.london. ‘We played (en route to the final) Juventus with Ibrahimovic and Trezeguet up front and against Madrid with Zidane, Figo, Ronaldo with a team where the difference looks bigger than it does today.
‘It would have been my greatest achievement.
‘But you have to be realistic. We were in the Champions League final. If you look at Arsenal and the number of games we have played in Europe, in the whole history, you will see it’s not Real Madrid. So we have to be conscious of that.’