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As Arsenal prepare for their first UEFA Champions League game in six years, a link to Cristiano Ronaldo has been discovered. One of the players who featured for Arsenal in their last game in the competition is now teammates with the Portuguese superstar in Saudi Arabia.
The Gunners qualified for every edition of the UEFA Champions League for 19 years between 1998 and 2017. They reached the final in 2006, losing to a Ronaldinho-inspired Barcelona. However, the north London outfit have not qualified for the competition since 2017.
Arsenal were sent crashing out of the 2016-17 edition of the tournament by Bayern Munich by an embarrassing 10-2 aggregate scoreline. Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina was in goal for the Gunners as they were walloped over two legs by the German champions.
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He has since joined Al-Nassr via Napoli and is currently teammates with Cristiano Ronaldo. It is also worth mentioning that Ronaldo inspired Real Madrid to the title that season.
Ospina left the Gunners to join Serie A side Napoli, initially on loan, before the move was made permanent. He left the Italian side in the summer of 2022 to ply his trade with Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, becoming one of their first additions from Europe.
Cristiano Ronaldo joined Ospina at Al-Nassr months later but hasn't played with him so far. The veteran goalkeeper injured his elbow and has been out of action since January, with his rehabilitation taking longer than anticipated.
Ospina will nurture hopes of making a return to action this season and playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at the club.
Arsenal set for UEFA Champions League return
For a club of Arsenal's stature, six years is too long to be away from Europe's premier club competition. Their return to the competition is a welcome development to their fans and the club. This has been down to the progress made by manager Mikel Arteta on and off the pitch.
Arsenal face Dutch outfit PSV in their first game back in the competition on Wednesday (September 20), renewing their acquaintance with them. They faced each other in the group stage of the Europa League last season, with each of them winning once. Their last Champions League meeting ended in a 1-1 draw in the 2006-07 season.
The Gunners have been drawn into a relatively straightforward Group B alongside PSV. They also have to face Europa League champions Sevilla, as well as French debutants RC Lens in the group stage.
