4 of the best World Cup campaigns by Arsenal players

#afc</a> <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/11/19/4-of-the-best-world-cup-campaigns-by-arsenal-players/4/"https://t.co/BURLaEHAu9">pic.twitter.com/BURLaEHAu9

<p>&mdash; afcstuff (@afcstuff) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/11/19/4-of-the-best-world-cup-campaigns-by-arsenal-players/4/"https://twitter.com/afcstuff/status/1546816573628973056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>July 12, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p><script async src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/11/19/4-of-the-best-world-cup-campaigns-by-arsenal-players/4/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div> <p>The summer of 1998 will forever be etched in the memory of Emmanuel Petit, as the diminutive Frenchman helped his team defeat Brazil to claim their maiden World Cup triumph on home soil.</p> <p>Petit was a Les Bleus regular throughout the tournament and produced many fine, battling performances in the engine room alongside his captain and incumbent French manager Didier Deschamps.</p> <p>However, he saved his headline contributions for the showpiece event in Paris. Petit began an impressive display with a well-taken corner to set up Zidane for the opening goal just before the half-hour mark, and he got in on the act himself deep into injury time with a clinical effort to round off a famous victory.</p> <p>A fearless competitor who boasted great positional awareness and an incredible work rate, Petit was a key figure in every team he represented and his impact earned him a distinguished career for both club and country.</p> <p><em>Continued on the next slide&#8230;</em></p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/11/19/4-of-the-best-world-cup-campaigns-by-arsenal-players/4/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span>&nbsp;#2 memorable World Cup campaign </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><h2><strong>2. Jens Lehmann (Germany 2006)</strong></h2> <div id="attachment_130975" class="wp-caption alignnone"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-130975" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/11/19/4-of-the-best-world-cup-campaigns-by-arsenal-players/4/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1092,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F71342362.jpeg" alt="" width="1600" height="1092" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/71342362.jpeg 1600w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/71342362-768x524.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Jens Lehmann and his infamous ‘cheat sheet’. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)</p> </div> <p>Home comforts did not bring about quite the same fairy tale ending for ‘Mad Jens’ and the German team in 2006, but the Arsenal man still excelled between the sticks and was crucial to his side’s run to the semi-finals.</p> <p>Although Lehmann was the first choice in north London and a celebrated member of the Invincibles, he was second in command to the legendary Oliver Kahn for Die Mannschaft and made his first start at a major tournament during the 18th edition of the World Cup; an opportunity he, quite literally, seized with both hands.</p> <p>He made several fantastic saves and recorded three clean sheets during the finals, with his best showing taking place in a quarter-final penalty shootout win against Argentina.</p> <p>Controversially guided by a ‘cheat sheet’ of the opposition’s spot-kick preferences, Lehmann guessed the right way for each penalty and managed to save two efforts to secure his nation’s place in the next round.</p> <p>The hosts were later beaten in dramatic style by eventual champions Italy, and Kahn was reinstated for his farewell appearance in the third-place playoff. But Lehmann had done all he could for his side and his brilliant displays earned him a place in the 2006 World Cup All-Star Team.</p> <p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/11/19/4-of-the-best-world-cup-campaigns-by-arsenal-players/4/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #3 memorable World Cup campaign </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><h2><strong>3. Thierry Henry (Germany 2006)</strong></h2> <div id="attachment_130974" class="wp-caption alignnone"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-130974" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/11/19/4-of-the-best-world-cup-campaigns-by-arsenal-players/4/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1053,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F525761444.jpeg" alt="" width="1600" height="1053" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/525761444.jpeg 1600w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/525761444-768x505.jpeg 768w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/525761444-850x560.jpeg 850w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Thierry Henry was a beaten finalist in 2006. (Photo by AMA/Corbis via Getty Images)</p> </div> <p>Another disappointed participant from 2006. France had followed up their ’98 success with a humiliating group-stage exit in South Korea four years later, and Henry led the charge for national redemption when they took to the pitch again on German soil.</p> <p>The King exhibited few signs of his Champions League heartache when in French attire and found the net twice in the first three matches, while he also scored the only goal of the match as Les Bleus eliminated Brazil in the quarter-finals.</p> <p>Unfortunately, a stubborn Italian defence caused great frustration in the final at the Olympiastadion and Henry was subbed off midway through extra time, before an agonising penalty shootout saw his chance at World Cup glory slip away.</p> <p>A place in the Team of the Tournament came as scant consolation for the iconic Frenchman, but is deserved recognition for his role in a noble national effort.</p> <p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/11/19/4-of-the-best-world-cup-campaigns-by-arsenal-players/4/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #4 memorable World Cup campaign </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><h2><strong>4. Mesut Ozil (Brazil 2014)</strong></h2> <div id="attachment_130973" class="wp-caption alignnone"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-130973" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/11/19/4-of-the-best-world-cup-campaigns-by-arsenal-players/4/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2315,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F452118956.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2315" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/452118956.jpeg 3200w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/452118956-768x556.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Mesut Ozil helped Germany lift the World Cup in Brazil. (Photo by Martin Rose/Getty Images)</p> </div> <p>His time at Arsenal might have concluded bitterly, but Mesut Ozil was at his best during the Brazil World Cup as he starred in Germany’s first Jules Rimet triumph since 1990.</p> <p>An almost constant feature under Joachim Low, Ozil’s creative influence allowed the irrepressible Germans to thrive in South America as they comprehensively brushed aside competition from football heavyweights Portugal and Brazil en route to the 2014 final.</p> <p>The often shot-shy playmaker also grabbed a late, extra-time winner to defeat Algeria in the round of 16 and lasted the full 120 minutes in the Maracana finale, where he celebrated the unparalleled sporting achievement with fellow Gunner Per Mertesacker.</p> <div class="embed "> <blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="Atwu2l1TLq"><p><a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/11/19/4-of-the-best-world-cup-campaigns-by-arsenal-players/4/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/11/18/5-arsenal-transfer-targets-to-watch-at-the-2022-world-cup/">5 Arsenal transfer targets to watch at the 2022 World Cup</a></p></blockquote> <p><iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/11/19/4-of-the-best-world-cup-campaigns-by-arsenal-players/4/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/11/18/5-arsenal-transfer-targets-to-watch-at-the-2022-world-cup/embed/#?secret=Atwu2l1TLq" data-secret="Atwu2l1TLq" width="500" height="282" title="“5 Arsenal transfer targets to watch at the 2022 World Cup” — Pain in the Arsenal" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p></div> <p>A fantastic international career was brought to a premature end in 2018, but Ozil’s incredible memories of World Cup success will never perish.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">