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What a chance for 2-0 indeed. 70th minute too, that would have won it for us.
Pires is one of the first players I remember hearing my dad talk about as a kid. Reckoned he was the best winger in the world prior to his injury. I did get to see a bit of him from 03/04 onwards.
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Pires was such a joy to watch.
I think we should stop besmearching his beautiful thread with all these traumatic memories.
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Yeah 01/02 was probably his “wow” season.
It’s ironic, really, because 03/04, it could be argued, wasn’t the best season for a few of our players, individually speaking.
Lehmann, Vieira, Ljungberg, Bergkamp amd Pires come to mind.
I’m tempted to think Cole was better the season before, too.
That early chance at 53 seconds…Thierry 
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Yea we know Robert mate, you lived at the training ground for several years. 
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So he should, we should build him his own wing there where he can come and go whenever he pleases.
Man can do anything he wants, whenever he wants when it comes to our football club
My favourite
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Surely a Ballon d’Or contender in 2002 if it weren’t for the injury?
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Bergkamp and Pires were just art lol
The way they combined just oozed class
And one thing to take away from that video is Bergkamp loved a flick against Newcastle
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It was stupid how Van Horseface got one of the footballer of the year awards that season (PFA, I think).
Pires should have been awarded both of the national ones
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Early Pires. Only really remember him for his time with us so this is golden footage.
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Bring back the art in football 
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I believe he was the most underrated player from that team, and from that era of the Premier League. Like @Midfield_Maestro said, he was an artist. Whatever he did, was effortless, graceful, and above all, looked damn easy. Very Federer like qualities. He had the physique to take on any one, and was quick enough when he needed it, but it was more his quick thinking and exceptional technique that he used to beat players. And that right foot curler was his trademark.
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Incredible player, the only thing he didn’t have was physical strength and he didn’t need it.
He’s as good as any winger this league has ever seen.
And on top of all that… And this is what made him special imo… I don’t think there were many creative/technical players like him (if any), ever, who were nearly as effective and dangerous off the ball.
He was always on the move. Not just on the move… He was aggressively attacking spaces, areas, pockets as soon as he makes the pass. He always knew where he will move after he makes the pass just as much as he where the player who is recieving the pass needs to move.
A chess player on the pitch. Always, ALWAYS a few moves ahead before he has the ball at his feet.
It was simply illegal to have a playmaker with his vision and intelligence along with his movement and dynamism, operating out wide, obviously having all the freedom in the world to move inside whenever he wanted.
This is why Ozil reminded me more of Pires than Bergkamp (as he was compared to Bergkamp all the time). I loved how dynamic and fluid Ozil was off the ball, and that’s what stood out for me when he just got here (didn’t watch him enough at Real to notice that I guess). Always attacking the free space, just not as effective in the final third. Obviously didn’t have the stamina to play out wide on longer term and sadly was wasted there for far too often.
I think Pires was THE reason Wenger was so comfortable in using number 10s out wide later on but obviously it never worked nearly as good as with him. The problem was Pires was both a proper winger and a playmaker, a hybrid never seen before (or after). :hipster:
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