The last time Arsenal faced Real Madrid marked the end of the Galacticos era for Madrid

Tonight's Champions League match between Arsenal and Real Madrid promises to be one of the most entertaining games of this knock-out stage, despite the series of side-lined players that affect both teams. The first leg will be in London, the second leg in Madrid, and despite the greatness of both clubs, they have only faced once before (in a two-legged knockout) in UEFA competitions.

It happened in the round of 16 of the 2005/06 season. Arsenal won the first leg 1-0 at the Bernabéu, followed by a 0-0 at Highbury Park in London: the single goal by Thierry Henry helped the gunners, coached by then by Arsène Wegner, reach quarter-finals, eventually losing in the final to FC Barcelona, coached by then by Frank Rijkaard, as remembered by RTVE.

Real Madrid coach that season was Juan Ramón López Caro, who had replaced Wanderley Luxemburgo a few months earlier, fired due to poor results. Real Madrid's defeat was a big blow for the team, and the result of the first leg at the Bernabéu was followed immediately by the resignation of club president Florentino Pérez after six years. He hoped, with his resignation, to spark a good reaction for the team on the second leg (famously saying that he had "spoiled" the players) but that didn't happen. In fact, they lost their Liga game in between, eventually losing LaLiga title to Barcelona too.

That Arsenal defeat, followed by Pérez resignation, marked the end of the "Galácticos" era, which saw the club spending big money and marketing on players such as Luis Figo, Zidane, Ronaldo, Beckham, and Michael Owen in the early 2000s, but failing to make much difference sportingly. Pérez, however, returned to the club in 2009 and has been at the helm ever since, at the same time as high-profile signings like Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and Xabi Alonso, which sparked a much more successful era.