Twenty years on, Highbury has been given a new lease of life. The stage for Arsenal’s greatest triumphs hosted the Gunners’ final match two decades ago, when Thierry Henry bid farewell to the iconic stadium with a hat-trick against Wigan. Flashscore visited the site of the old ground, which has been reborn in the heart of a characteristic north London neighborhood.
The facade of the East Stand. Bruno Henriques.
On May 7, 2006, the 38th matchday of the Premier League, Arsenal’s starting eleven, led by captain Thierry Henry, walked out of the Highbury tunnel onto the pitch for the last time, facing Wigan Athletic. Two years had passed since the Invincibles title, and the goal was different: securing Champions League qualification. Arsene Wenger’s men turned the farewell into a magical afternoon. Henry scored three goals as Tottenham fell to West Ham, allowing Arsenal to overtake their north London rivals and clinch the fourth spot for Europe’s top competition.
In the East Stand sat 86-year-old Michael, who recalls that afternoon 20 years ago. “It was the perfect way to say goodbye to Highbury, an unforgettable afternoon,” he told Flashscore. The conversation began inside Highbury, where we entered almost by chance. We emerged from Arsenal tube station and walked along Highbury Hill, where trees and house facades hide the fact that we are next to one of the most iconic football stadiums of the 20th century.
The entrance via the West Stand on Highbury Hill. Bruno Henriques.
It is a vestige of another era, when the club was at the heart of the neighborhood—very different from modern 21st-century stadiums built in expansive areas with commercial spaces, increasingly detached from the community. “Before, I had access to the president’s club; I even met the players, we walked near the dressing rooms. Now it’s impossible. They are almost unreachable,” lamented Michael, who pointed to the East Stand where he held his season ticket, the same stand he still occupies at the new Emirates: “I liked Highbury more.”
A second life awaits just 300 meters from the revamped Emirates. Highbury was not completely demolished. After that magical afternoon in 2006,
