According to reports, this is the belief in a project. In North London, Arsenal knew well that this opportunity—a trip to the home of the Champions League kings with a 3-0 lead—was one that would rarely repeat itself and almost impossible to let slip. And they didn’t let it slip. The Santiago Bernabéu is capable of making the impossible possible. Bukayo Saka, on a day that seemed cursed for him, missed a penalty after two years, and William Saliba, one of the best center-backs in the world, did something unprecedented. But at Arsenal, no one strayed from the plan or forgot the main objective.

Thierry Henry, just like in 2006, returned to the Bernabéu, this time as an Englishman with the number 7 on his back. Arsenal’s defensive line once again became the impenetrable wall that, since December 2023, no team has been able to score more than two goals against. This record has now reached 79 games.

To defeat the current Champions League holders at the Bernabéu, you not only need multiple high-quality weapons but also deep belief in your own ability.

Arsenal, with players like Martin Ødegaard, Declan Rice, and Luis Enrique, believed more than any other team that they could do it. Arteta had said: “We have to make our own history, and this history is shaped by reaching these knockout stages, winning them, and advancing to the semifinals. This is the next step we must take.”

The first step has now been taken, against the best opponent and on the grandest stage possible. Arsenal’s project smells like silverware.