Arsenal’s legendary Invincibles remain one of the most iconic teams in football history.
The side, packed with legends like Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, and Dennis Bergkamp, made history as they went the entire 2003/04 Premier League season unbeaten, winning the league in style.
Since then, few players from the post-Invincibles era have been considered good enough to break into that historic lineup.
But now, someone who was at the heart of that legendary Arsenal squad has weighed in. Gilberto Silva believes two of Mikel Arteta’s current stars wouldn’t just make the Invincibles squad, they’d be in the starting XI.
Gilberto Silva says Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard would make The Invincibles team
Picking a combined starting XI from the Invincibles and the current Arsenal side, Silva named Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard as the only two players who would make the team.
The former Gunners midfielder, who played a key role in that unbeaten 2003/04 campaign, praised both players for their style and the way they fit into the current Arsenal team.
Discussing on Sky Sports, Silva said: “Yeah, those guys I really like. I really like the way they play, the style, I like very much Saka, Odegaard, the way he can make the combination, yeah.
“And then later on when you see who is upfront (in my team), you will understand (my pick) because you have the qualities of the passes.”
Gilberto Silva names Arsenal XI combining Invincibles with Arteta’s stars
The Brazilian World Cup winner kept the spine of the 2003/04 team intact, including Jens Lehmann in goal and a rock-solid back four of Lauren, Kolo Toure, Sol Campbell, and Ashley Cole.
In midfield, he retained the monstrous presence of Patrick Vieira, while opting for a more modern twist in the attacking roles.
Robert Pires, who has compared Odegaard with Bergkamp, keeps his place on the left, while Saka takes over the right flank — replacing the likes of Freddie Ljungberg and Odegaard slots into the attacking midfield role behind the strikers, a position previously held by Bergkamp, who moves further forward in this XI to partner Henry.
| Player | Games Played | Goals | Assists |
| Bukayo Saka | 261 | 70 | 71 |
| Martin Odegaard | 196 | 40 | 37 |
For Gilberto to include Saka and Odegaard alongside legends like Henry, Pires, and Vieira says a lot about the quality of the two and also speaks volumes about how far this Arsenal side has developed under Mikel Arteta.
