by Mark Bassey

On Monday, Arsenal staged the screening of a documentary, which celebrated the famous 2003/2004 unbeaten season.

It was a magical season for the Gunners, as no opposing team could get one over them. Arsene Wenger’s side won 26 of their matches and drew 12 games.

Players like Robert Pires, Jens Lehmann, Martin Keown, Ray Parlour, Sol Campbell, etc were present at the screening.

But which other faces did we expect to see?

Thierry Henry

Henry was the most notable absentee at the screening. The former Gunners striker already has a bronze statue outside the Emirates and he is still Arsenal’s top scorer with 229 strikes. Henry, who is now a TV pundit with Sky Sports, led the scoring charts for Wenger’s side, as they went unbeaten.

Patrick Vieira

Vieira now works for Arsenal’s rivals, Manchester City, to develop their youngsters. But when he was at Highbury, he was the captain and leader. The one who went in for midfield battles and drove the team on. He was not present to watch a highlight reel of his time in London.

Freddie Ljunberg

His is perhaps the most surprising, as the former Sweden international is now an ambassador for the club. But he was nowhere to be found at the screening.

Ashley Cole

Well, Cole has an explanation for completely opting out. He refused to be featured in Amy Lawrence’s book on the Invincibles and said on Twitter: “People asking why I’m not in the Invincibles book I thought it would be for the best. I didn’t think fans would want it. But I will never forget my times at Arsenal and the amazing achievements I accomplished there with great people.”

Kolo Toure

The Ivorian was a mainstay in Wenger’s defence alongside Sol Campbell – who incidentally was at the screening. Together, they forged a formidable partnership at the back, as the attackers had a field day tearing down opposition. The Liverpool defender recently won the Africa Cup of Nations with his country.

Dennis Bergkamp

Bergkamp, who is an assistant coach at Ajax these days, was missing at the screening too. The Dutch maestro formed a lethal partnership upfront with Henry and together, they served us moments of brilliance.