Arsenal Invincible recalls how Russian models were used as bait to knacker out players

Posted Saturday, May 04, 2024 by Dailystar.co.uk

Arsenal were once the target of a honeytrap as 10 Russian models were reportedly planted in the bar of their Moscow hotel the night before a Champions League game

In a cheeky plot that sounds straight out of a spy novel, Arsenal were once allegedly the target of a honeytrap involving 10 Russian models before a Champions League clash.

The Gunners were facing Lokomotiv Moscow in the group stages of their legendary 2003/04 Invincibles season, and knowing full well the odds were stacked against them, the crafty hosts seemingly hatched a plan to wear down Arsene Wenger's men.

Recalling the bonkers story, Pascal Cygan, the ex-Arsenal Invincible who turned 50 on Monday, told French outlet La Voix du Nord in 2019: "When we entered our hotel in Moscow there were 10 Russian top models waiting for us. They were seated in front of the bar."

The sneaky strategy? To exhaust the players the night before the big game. But according to Cygan, who had a wife and two little girls back home, the squad didn't bite, and no one was daft enough to fall for it.

The 6ft 4in defender said: "We were later told that they had been there to tire us out during the night before the match. We didn't lose, and as far as I remember none of our players were stupid enough to fall into the trap."

Arsenal Invincible recalls how Russian models were used as bait to knacker out players
Lokomotiv Moscow sent 10 Russian models to seduce Arsenal's players the night before the game (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Cygan added: "That was just as well, given the situation at that time. Stories about players' private lives used to appear regularly in the papers."

Dodging any mischief, an Arsenal team boasting stars like Martin Keown, Robert Pires, and Thierry Henry bagged a crucial point on foreign soil, with Cygan cheering on from the bench.

The return match at the Emirates finished with a 2-0 triumph for the home team, but they only advanced to the quarter-finals of that year's Champions League, where they were defeated over two legs by Chelsea.