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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Kieran King

Arsenal Invincibles reunite with Ian Wright and two forgotten Gunners stars

A number of Arsenal legends were reunited on Tuesday night, including recently sacked Crystal Palace boss Patrick Viera and Match of the Day pundit Ian Wright.

It has been 19 years since the Gunners won the Premier League title and they did so in remarkable fashion, going the entire season unbeaten. Arsene Wenger's side won 26 and drew 12 of their 38 matches and that team have since been handed 'the Invincible' tag.

However, their league title drought could come to an end this season. Mikel Arteta's Gunners currently sit top of the division and are eight points ahead of second-place Manchester City.

Although City have a game in hand, Arsenal are still favourites and have the best chance to claim a top-flight title since the Invincibles rocked the Premier League back in 2003/04. During that time, Thierry Henry was one of the best players on the planet, while their defensive record was unmatched.

Almost two decades on from that famous campaign, some of the Invincibles team from that year reunited for a meal on Tuesday evening. Club legend Ian Wright posted a picture of the gathering on social media, with several big names Invincibles joined by Gael Clichy and Jeremie Aliadiere, who were both youngsters just making their way in the first-team squad that season.

Martin Keown was one of the former players present at the meet-up. The defender is an Arsenal legend and made over 400 appearances for the Gunners.

Next to him on a photo posted by Ian Wright on social media was Lee Dixon, who is now known for his co-commentary role alongside Sam Matterface on ITV. As a right-back, there weren't many better than Dixon at the time as he played 616 times for the Gunners, although he wasn't part of the Invincibles side.

Gael Clichy and David Dein's son, Darren, were alongside Thierry Henry on the top row, with Jens Lehman, Freddie Ljungberg and Ray Parlour also present. Clichy made 12 league appearances during the Invincible campaign and went on to have an illustrious career in the game with Arsenal and Man City.

Henry, meanwhile, is known as one of the best players in the Premier League era. The Frenchman scored 228 goals in 377 matches across two spells at Arsenal. He won countless team and individual honours in his career.

Some Arsenal legends were present at a night out (@IanWright0/Twitter)
Robert Pires, Thierry Henry and Gael Clichy (Getty Images)

Lehman, Ljungberg and Parlour were exceptional in the Invincibles campaign and have earned their right to become Arsenal legends for their performances. Lehman, a former German international, is recognised as a Premier League great, while Ljungberg and Parlour clocked over 700 matches between them at the Gunners.

On the bottom row featured Jeremie Aliadiere (left), with Viera in the middle and Wright (right). Aliadiere struggled during his time at Highbury, despite earning a Premier League winners' medal for his contribution in 2003/04.

Viera, who was sacked by Palace earlier this month, is a legend at Arsenal. He was a rock in the middle of the park and ended up clocking more than 400 matches in a Gunners shirt. As for Wright, he defied the odds by battling through the lower division to make it as a Premier League powerhouse, scoring 185 goals for Arsenal.

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