I’ve seen Arsenal play 132 away games in Europe, but this was the first time we’d reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, so it was always going to be special. We’d had amazing results all through that season, beating Real Madrid and Juventus on the way. We had such an iconic team in those days: Sol Campbell at the back; Robert Pirès; Thierry Henry was a real world-class player. It’s the best Arsenal team I’ve ever seen.

The first leg of the semi-final was the last European game played at Highbury. We won 1-0 with a Kolo Touré goal, so we went to Spain feeling relatively optimistic. We went out there for four nights of sun in a holiday resort on the coast. The atmosphere was really good at the game, although only 1,500 Arsenal fans were allowed because of the size of the ground. We were under the cosh all game, and there were very few chances. It was heading to 0-0 when they were awarded a penalty near the end, but Jens Lehmann pulled off a wonderful save. Had Villarreal scored, I think they’d have gone on to win the tie as they had the momentum. We enjoyed the rest of the evening as we got invited into hospitality to celebrate with champagne.

Lehmann was a hero that night, but became the villain in the final when he was sent off and we lost 2-1 to Barcelona in Paris. Had we won the trophy, it would have been a stepping stone for the club: it would have been so different moving into the new ground as European champions.