I played with Zinedine Zidane on PlayStation and three years later I exchanged shirts with him.
Philippe Senderos not only bagged Zinedine Zidane in his final Champions League game, but also took his shirt.
The ex-Arsenal The centre-back was key in the club's run to its first and only European Cup final in the 2005/06 season.
having replaced Sol Campbell In the lineup, the former Swiss international achieved the best performance of his career against the world's elite at the age of 21.
Senderos played a total of 630 minutes in the Champions League that campaign, a streak that stretched from the last two games of the group stage to the first leg of the semifinals.
At that time, Arsenal were fighting against AjaxReal Madrid, Juventus and Villarreal – with Senderos helping the Gunners keep a clean sheet in all seven games.
But it was the round of 16 clash against his childhood club. Real that stands out for him, where he went from controlling them on PlayStation to knocking them out.
He helped Arsenal make history in the first leg by becoming the first English team to win in Madrid, before holding the Spanish giants to a goalless draw at Highbury.
Trails maintained ronaldoRaul and David Beckham at bay – like Zidane -, who retired from football after the 2006 World Cup.
Speaking to talkSPORT.com about what it was like facing a star-studded team, he said: “It was incredible.
“First, playing against Real Madrid with my father being Spanish was something very important.
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“I grew up supporting Real Madrid all my life, so playing at the Bernabéu was making a dream come true.
“It was incredible to play against these legends of the game.
“You can imagine I was playing with them on the PlayStation, and a few years later I'm playing for Arsenal at the Bernabéu against the Galacticos.”
Senderos later revealed that he had exchanged shirts with Raul after the first leg, and with Zidane in north London.
And the 2005 FA Cup winner believes Arsenal's defeat of Real will remain fresh in his memory.
When talking about the shirt exchange, Senderos stated: “They didn't ask me (for my shirt), but I bet they remember that game.
“Because we beat them, we were the first English team to beat them at the Bernabéu and it was an incredible time for us.”
Unfortunately for Senderos and Arsenal, they ultimately lost the final against Real's LaLiga rivals. Barcelona – despite leading with 15 minutes left.
Senderos was an unused substitute at the Stade de France after returning from injury and Campbell opened the scoring in his absence.
But Arsenal, who saw Jens Lehman sent off in the 18th minute, he could not hold on, with Samuel Eto'o and Juliano Belletti finding the back of the net in the closing stages.
