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Arsenal may have failed to reach their first Champions League final since 2006, but a member of the Gunners' alumni will be involved in the competition's showpiece event in Munich.
Mikel Arteta's side fell to a 2-1 defeat in Paris on Wednesday night, succumbing 3-1 on aggregate, and will endure a fifth successive trophy-less season with the Spaniard at the helm. Arsenal performed admirably at the Parc des Princes but ultimately came up short in both boxes as Luis Enrique's wonderful side progressed.
There's no shame in losing to an outfit of this PSG team's calibre, but very rarely is there time for rationality in the immediate aftermath of a painful defeat. Arteta himself struggled to manifest humility after the Gunners bowed out.
PSG's triumph means Inter await in the final at the end of May, and former Arsenal midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan is poised to play a big role in Munich.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan aiming to become the eighth player to win Champions League after leaving Arsenal
The Armenian was infamously a part of a horribly fruitless swap deal between Arsenal and Manchester United, which involved Mkhitaryan and Alexis Sanchez trading clubs. The former arguably fared better off in north London compared to the Chilean up in Manchester, but still, Mkhitaryan produced very little in an Arsenal shirt to remember him by.
After his contract was terminated by the Gunners, the Armenian star joined Roma permanently in 2020, before moving to Inter in 2022. He grew in stature in Rome having manifested a meeker form in the English capital, and has since blossomed into an integral part of Simone Inzaghi's two-time Champions League finalists.
The Inter boss labelled Mkhitaryan as "hugely important" for the Nerazzurri at the backend of last season, with the Armenian evolving from a fragile playmaker into an all-action box-to-box midfielder adept in every phase. He's a workhorse in the middle of the park, defying father time, and has started all but one of Inter's Champions League knockout stage ties this season.
His involvement against PSG on 31 May will be his second Champions League final appearance since moving to San Siro. This time, though, Mkhitaryan's set for a much bigger role after playing just six minutes in Istanbul as Inzaghi's men were beaten by treble-winners Manchester City.
The veteran midfielder thus failed to become the eighth player to leave Arsenal and subsequently win the biggest prize in club football. The seven who have, if you were wondering, are Nicolas Anelka, Alexander Hleb, Thierry Henry, Ashley Cole, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Serge Gnabry, and Olivier Giroud.
Mkhitaryan has the chance to join that esteemed list in Munich, but his Inter team have their work cut out if they're to avoid a repeat of 2023. PSG aren't half bad.