Philippe Senderos has relived his experience of Arsenal's historic 1-0 victory over Real Madrid in the run to the 2006 Champions League final.
The result meant the Gunners became the first ever English side to beat Los Blancos on their home ground with Thierry Henry's outstanding solo goal the difference on the night.
Having grown up a Real Madrid fan like his Spanish father, however, the nerves were almost too much for Senderos to handle as kick off approached with him starting alongside Kolo Toure with Mathieu Flamini at left-back.
"That Real Madrid game, away, with an amazing Henry goal - that game was for me one of my best memories in an Arsenal shirt and on a football pitch in general,” he told Arsenal's 'In Lockdown' podcast .
"My Dad is Spanish, from very close to Madrid so he's supported Real Madrid all his life and me growing up, I always looked at Real Madrid being an amazing team and a team that I would love to play for in the future.
"That game, that day at the Bernabeu, was the day that I was the most nervous in my whole entire life. I remember throwing up before the game on the field and before the ref blew because I was actually living my dream.
"Playing at the Bernabeu against Real Madrid for Arsenal that was my dream as a kid. I wanted to do that in my life and I was actually living it so that's one of my best memories on a football field."
Keeping a clean sheet both at the Bernabeu and in the return leg at Highbury, Senderos helped the Gunners maintain their record of not conceding that year which continued until the final against Barcelona.
Having kept Ajax and Thun goalless in the group stages, Senderos kept his place after the Real Madrid victory, starting both quarter-final legs against Juventus and the first leg of the semi-final against Villarreal. Unfortunately for the Swiss international, an injury before the second leg would cost him a place in the starting XI for the return leg and the final.
"I remember between the two legs of the Villarreal game we played against Spurs in the league and I hurt my knee in the second half and had to come off and missed two or three games at the end of the season," he added.
"I was very scared that I wasn't going to make the final. I missed the semi-final because of that injury - the second leg - and then I was really scared I wasn't going to make the final after the huge run we made in the Champions League, to miss out on the final would have been heartbreaking for me.
"So I did everything to come back. I was in every single day, no days off until the final from that moment on. I remember being on every single day at training for a month continuously just to make that final. I started training a week before the Champions League final - a week after the end of the Premier League - and I really wasn't feeling good. I was struggling to even pass the ball but I had to make the squad and be on the bench at least.
"I worked hard and I think the manager saw that and put me on the bench for the final which was already a great achievement considering where I was a month before."
