Philippe Senderos recalled how nervous he was ahead of the last 16 second leg in the Stadio Santiago Bernabeu. Arsenal was about to face off Real Madrid.
“That game was for me one of my best memories in an Arsenal shirt and on a football pitch in general,” he said during an appearance on Arsenal’s ‘In Lockdown’ podcast.
Playing had been his dream since childhood, given that his father was a supporter of Real Madrid:
“My dad is Spanish and supported Real Madrid all his life.
“For 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.”
He reminisces about the time just before playing against Real Madrid:
“That game at the Bernabeu was the day that I was the most nervous in my entire life.
“I remember throwing up before the game on the field, before the referee blew. It was because I was actually living my dream, playing against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.”
It all turned out for the good, however. Arsenal defeated Real Madrid on their way to the finals of the 2005/06 Champions League.
