The Arsenal F.C. away kit from the 2005/06 season is instantly recognizable to many. The yellow Nike shirt with the O2 sponsor was worn during Arsenal's run to the 2006 Champions League final, making it one of the most famous Arsenal shirts of the 2000s.
Especially the combination of Thierry Henry, Highbury, and that Champions League campaign ensures that this shirt is still often brought up when discussing iconic Arsenal shirts.
Arsenal's route to the Champions League final
The 2005/06 season was special for Arsenal. Under Arsène Wenger, the club reached the Champions League final for the first time.
Along the way, Arsenal defeated teams such as Real Madrid, Juventus, and Villarreal. The team was defensively strong, while players like Henry, Fàbregas, and Ljungberg provided the decisive moments.
In the final against FC Barcelona, Arsenal played in this yellow away kit because Barcelona played in their traditional red and blue colors.
Read also: The 5 most beautiful Arsenal shirts of all time
The last season at Highbury
What makes this shirt even more famous is that it was also Arsenal's last season at Highbury. After 2005/06, the club moved to the Emirates Stadium.
Along with that season's home shirt, this shirt is often associated with the end of an important era for Arsenal, featuring players like Henry, Bergkamp, and Campbell.
The shirt's design
Nike kept the design quite sleek and simple.
The shirt featured:
- a bright yellow base
- dark grey details
- the O2 sponsor on the chest
- dark grey accents on the shoulders and sleeves
The 2006 Champions League final
The final against Barcelona was played in Paris on May 17, 2006.
Arsenal took the lead through Sol Campbell despite an early red card for Jens Lehmann. For a long time, it seemed Arsenal would win with ten men, but Barcelona turned the game around in the final stages through Samuel Eto'o and Juliano Belletti.
Famous players who wore this shirt:
- Thierry Henry
- Dennis Bergkamp
- Cesc Fàbregas
- Freddie Ljungberg
- Sol Campbell
- Ashley Cole
Discover our shirts of these Arsenal legends→ Dennis Bergkamp shirts→ Thierry Henry shirts
A shirt that is still popular
The 2005/06 Arsenal away shirt remains a popular kit, especially versions with Champions League patches or Henry printing.
As with many popular shirts from the 2000s, many replicas and counterfeit versions also circulate online.
Read also: How to recognize a fake football shirt
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