When Sol Campbell joined Arsenal in 2001, it was one of the biggest shocks in football transfer history.
The former Tottenham Hotspur captain and England international went on to win two FA Cups and two Premier League titles, the second as part of the legendary ‘Invincibles,’ and he scored our goal in the UEFA Champions League final against FC Barcelona in 2006.
What do you remember of your first Arsenal game?
For me, what makes the champion is recognising early on in your career where to be and where not to be.
You get to a certain level and you have an attachment to your club and then you get to the critical point of quality and who you are as a person, your character, your presence, your understanding of the game and you stay when you are not at the right club.
Then someone comes along and says, “Hey, let's go to the next level.” If you don't take that jump, I think that's when you almost miss your slot and you don't make it.
My first thought at Arsenal was “What an amazing team!” I just felt that this was the level I wanted to be at.
When you're a good player, a top player, and you go into a team like that, a squad like that, I could just concentrate on my game.
I don't need to be worried about this player or that player. I could be a team player, but I don't have to cover him.
Arsene (Wenger) had a system that I could just slot into. I had the talent but I just needed a system to play. He was like the conductor and then away you go. Boom!
Everything just moves quicker.
It was the right kind of philosophy, energies. and you just plug in and I loved working with him.
How did you cope with the attention and the abuse after the controversy of your move?
The main thing is to try to stay centred and make sure your heart, your soul, your spirit, your family, your friends, all those elements are in place.
If you've got good friends, you've got good family and you've got a good club around you, that’s the key to get through the tough times.
When you're anchored, you can sway but you don't drift, however choppy the seas become and when it passes, you're in roughly the same vicinity.
The environment was hostile, so you’re thinking about what to do. You just have to get the job done and win. I don't think people would be allowed to put this type of pressure on one individual ever again.
Looking back, the main thing was that I had a job to do. I had to make it work, even if it wasn’t easy.
What were your favourite memories at Highbury?
I think the closeness of the stadium. I missed that with some teams.
I think clubs will actually do that more where the fans are really close to the pitch.
Highbury was special, with the best pitch all year round. Even in the in the depths of winter it was an amazing carpet.
There was a sense of history and class, you know, but a sense of family as well. This club has heritage and I was proud to be a part of it.
What was your favourite Arsenal game that you played in?
Definitely winning the league in Manchester (2002).
The FA Cup final used to be the last game of the season, but after winning against Chelsea, there was a lot of expectation that we were going to get done over at Old Trafford.
Playing Chelsea in the Cup, that was amazing and but winning the Double with that game to seal it was massive.
Everything was on the line and only a few people could survive there. I prefer to be in that environment where not many people can survive.
This is me, I'm blessed. I was thinking “I'm enjoying this, I'm enjoying the knife edge.”
United were such big rivals. This is what football is in these big moments.
Chelsea and Man United were the big clubs, the massive clubs, so to win the league was an amazing feeling.
Sometimes you have to be lucky here and there, but you remember all the characters in the team, all the people around you at the time, and it's just incredible.
What was your most disappointing moment at the club?
Not winning in Paris because of the effort we put in against Barcelona in the final. (Champions League final, 2006)
The first goal they score comes from an easy shot that comes out and (Samuel) Eto’o was offside as well but the technology wasn't around.
That was going to be the last chance for me personally as well, so that was hard.
Do you watch Arsenal a lot and what are your thoughts on the team?
The centre half pairing (Gabriel Magalhães and William Saliba) is amazing and they’re going to grow in stature.
Martin Odegaard in the middle of the park is great and it's lovely to see (Gabriel) Jesus back.
With (Gabriel) Martinelli and (Bukayo) Saka, they’re just incredible winners. I think Saka is the probably the best player in the league.
Hopefully they've learned a lot from last year. After those three games (that we drew), when that feeling comes again, they can negotiate it a bit better.
If the players can stay fit for the vital games, they've got a chance for sure.
How does it feel being considered an Arsenal legend and how proud are you of the part you've played in Arsenal's history?
Just playing in that period was magical for me, playing with some amazing players, management, staff and the fans.
The Invincibles season, you know, we were the first to do it and then we beat the Nottingham Forest record of 42 games unbeaten.
It's a record that speaks volumes and it’s such a special, special accolade.
When we did it the league was really competitive with teams at the bottom really pushing you. Look, in the last game, Leicester went ahead before we won and they went down.
I'm extremely proud. I'm honoured. I gave a lot up for Arsenal, you know, and I'm sure they realise how much I had to sacrifice.