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Arsenal head into their first European final under Mikel Arteta and their second ever Champions League final as they take on Paris Saint-Germain this afternoon.
The Gunners have failed to win a continental trophy since lifting the Cup Winners' Cup in 1994 after an Alan Smith volley helped them overcome Parma in Copenhagen, but did come close to doing so when they reached the Europa League final in 2019.
Unai Emery led his side out against London rivals Chelsea in Baku, but it wasn't to be as they fell to a humiliating 4-1 defeat in the capital of Azerbaijan. Olivier Giroud, Pedro and Eden Hazard all struck to ensure Alex Iwobi's incredible consolation strike meant nothing and hand the trophy to the Blues.
Mikel Arteta has overseen plenty of change since that fateful day and no one from that starting XI remains at the club, but where are those players now?
Arsenal's 2019 Europa League final XI: Where are they now?
Goalkeeper & Defenders
Petr Čech (GK) - In what proved to be his final game as a professional footballer, the Czech shotstopper called time on his career after the defeat to his former club before making a surprise switch to ice hockey. He is currently playing as a goaltender for Haringey Huskies.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos (CB) - He remained at Arsenal for a further one-and-a-half seasons before departing following a mutual termination of his contract in 2021. The Greek defender returned to his home nation with Olympiacos before a spell at Real Betis ahead of confirming his retirement in 2024.
Laurent Koscielny (CB) - Playing his last game as club captain, he made a controversial departure in the summer to move to Bordeaux, where he played for three seasons before his retirement. He has since spent time as Under-17s coach at Lorient and is currently working as their sporting director.
Nacho Monreal (CB) - This proved to be one of his final games for Arsenal as he left for Real Sociedad shortly after the beginning of the 2019/20 season. Injuries plagued him in Spain, forcing his retirement in 2022.
Midfielders
Ainsley Maitland-Niles (RM) - His playing time slowly declined under Arteta and after several loan moves away, he completed a permanent transfer to Lyon in 2023, where he remains, having just finished fourth in Ligue 1.
Lucas Torreira (CM) - What could have been. A promising talent in the Gunners setup, his chances faded following the arrival of Arteta and after two loans away from North London, he joined Galatasaray ahead of the 2022/23 season. He won his fourth straight Süper Lig title with Gala this season.
Granit Xhaka (CM) - The most recent departure from this lineup, the Swiss midfielder lost the hearts of Arsenal fans shortly after the final, but won them back and left as a fan favourite in 2023. He won an unbeaten league title with Bayer Leverkusen before joining Sunderland last summer and has just helped them to a European finish in their first season back in the Premier League.
Sead Kolašinac (LM) - Like his teammates, he never really knuckled down a starting spot under Arteta and left the Gunners for Marseille in 2022, where he spent a year and a half before joining Atalanta, with whom he won the Europa League in 2024.
Mesut Özil (AM) - Things never really worked out for him after the final defeat as the familiar story of Arteta's arrival slowly pushed him out of the squad. His contract was terminated in January 2021 for him to join Fenerbahçe before a spell with İstanbul Başakşehir
Forwards
Alexandre Lacazette (ST) - The Frenchman spent another three seasons with the Gunners and ended his spell as club captain before returning to Lyon on a free transfer in 2022. After three years with the Ligue 1 side, he joined NEOM in the Saudi Pro League last summer.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (ST) - Following the controversy with Xhaka, he was named captain in November 2019 and led his side to an FA Cup victory later that season. However, as his form faded and attitude problems reportedly arose, he left the club for Barcelona in January 2022. His short time in Catalonia was followed by a spell with Chelsea before heading to Marseille, where he returned to last summer after a season in Saudi Arabia with Al Qadsiah.
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