Thierry Henry insists that Arsenal’s only way to beat Real Madrid in the Champions League is by fully believing in themselves.
Henry emphasizes that facing Real Madrid without confidence is pointless. The current European champions, who just edged past Atletico Madrid in a tense penalty shootout despite losing 1-0 in normal time, are set to meet Arsenal for the first time since 2006.
Henry, who famously scored a brilliant solo goal to help Arsenal win at the Bernabeu nearly two decades ago, recalls how that victory set up their memorable quarter-final run. Now, as underdogs again, he says that even a perfect two-legged performance won’t be enough if Arsenal doesn’t approach the game with strong belief.
When asked what it would take to pull off an upset, Henry’s answer was simple: “You have to believe you can win.”
He reflected on his own experience, saying:
“I’ve been in a similar situation with a team that wasn’t as strong on paper. When we were drawn against Real Madrid, people in Spain laughed. But if you step on that pitch thinking you can’t win, convinced that they’re better because they’ve won 15 titles and you’ve won none — then why bother playing?
“If your mindset is just to see what happens, don’t even show up. You have to believe you can win — that’s what ambition is. Look at Greece winning the Euros, Leicester winning the Premier League — all because they believed in themselves.”
Henry acknowledged that belief alone doesn’t guarantee success, citing Atletico Madrid and Manchester City as teams that have fought hard against Real Madrid but didn’t always prevail.
“To beat Madrid, you have to be almost flawless for the entire 180 minutes. And even then, it may not be enough.”
Now, it’s up to Arsenal to prove they can rise to the occasion both at home and away — a tough challenge.
While Real Madrid had to fight hard to eliminate Atletico, Arsenal cruised through their previous round, thrashing PSV 9-3 on aggregate after a 2-2 draw in the second leg.
Mikel Arteta also addressed the looming challenge, saying:
“The key is to be at your absolute best in both matches, every minute. You can’t give anything away because Madrid will punish you — we saw that today when we conceded twice.
“These games are decided in both penalty areas — you need individual brilliance and crucial moments to go your way. And we have to create an incredible atmosphere at home.”
Arteta reflected on last season’s quarter-final exit to Bayern Munich, Arsenal’s first time reaching that stage in 15 years, saying:
“Against Bayern, we put them under pressure at home, but they showed their experience and quality. We didn’t have what it took in the crucial moments.
“I hope we’ve learned from that and are stronger now — ready to take that final step and achieve something special.”
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