PIRES PICKS HIS FIVE-A-SIDE TEAM

Arsenal legend Robert Pireshas picked his five-a-side team and it included four of his Gunners teammates. The Frenchman named his five-a-side squad via the official Europa League Twitter handle. Robert Pires started his team with former Arsenal shot stopper Jens Lehmann in goal.

Ex-German national team goalkeeper Lehmann was in the same Arsenal squad with Robert Pires as the Gunners secured the Premier League title at the end of the 2003/04 season without a single defeat. Lehmann was also the Arsenal goalkeeper when the team set a new record for successive clean sheets in Champions League football during the 2005/06 campaign.The German shot stopper was then sent off in the final as Arsenal lost 2-1 to Spanish La Liga giants Barcelona in the final with ten men as a result of the red card to Lehmann. Robert Pires was the player sacrificed as Manuel Almunia came on to replace Lehmann in goal.

In defence, Pires went for Sol Campbell who swapped Tottenham Hotspur for Arsenal two decades ago. Campbell was a key member of the Invincibles squad that went through the league season. Former Three Lions of England player Campbell scored the lone Arsenal goal during the Champions League final loss to Spanish outfit Barcelona.

Robert Pires picked French duo Patrick Vieira and Zinedine Zidane as the midfielders in his five-a-side squad. Vieira was the Arsenal skipper for several years before he left to join Italian Serie A giants Juventus in the summer of 2005. French World Cup winner Vieira was the Gunners skipper for three years and he was in the role when the North Londoners lifted the Premier League title without suffering a single defeat.

Pires went with Thierry Henry as his striker. Henry is the all-time leading goalscorer in the history of the club with 228 goals in 377 games in all competitions.