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Robert Pires surprised many today by announcing his retirement, a surprise because most thought the Arsenal legend had already ended his career.
The 42-year-old, who won two Premier League titles and three FA Cups with the Gunners between 2000 and 2006, hasn't actually kicked a competitive ball since March last year, when he was playing for FC Goa in India.
His retirement means he becomes the final member of Les Bleus' 1998 World Cup-winning squad to hang up his boots.
"I'm 42 years old so some time must stop. We must say stop and above all must give way to young," he said on beIN Sports, quoted by L'Equipe. "My last experience was in India."
Pires started his career in Metz before moving to Marseille and then Arsenal, with later spells at Villarreal, Aston Villa and, most recently, FC Goa.
He was a member of France's Euro 2000 winning squad, and also collected Confederations Cup winning medals in 2001 and 2003. His first senior silverware was the Coupe de la Ligue with Metz in 1996.
Show all 22 1 /22Arsenal 0 Barcelona 2 player ratings Arsenal 0 Barcelona 2 player ratings Arsenal: Cech 6 out of 10 Was not needed for the first 50 mins but proved himself to be supremely reliable when called upon to save from Neymar as pressure grew.
Arsenal 0 Barcelona 2 player ratings Bellerin 6 out of 10 Yet again the youngster raised his game under the pressure of an elite opponent. Neymar gave him plenty to worry about but Bellerin kept coming back.
Arsenal 0 Barcelona 2 player ratings Mertesacker 7 out of 10 Gobbled up the never-ending stream of crosses Barcelona fired towards him in the first half. Set the tone for a impressive defensive effort.
Arsenal 0 Barcelona 2 player ratings Koscielny 6 out of 10 Hurled himself in the way of any ball aimed at Arsenal’s goal and had doubled up well on Messi for 70 minutes. Then he tired and the hosts defence collapsed.
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Arsenal 0 Barcelona 2 player ratings Monreal 6 out of 10 Earned himself 85 minutes on a tightrope with a needless booking for fouling Rakitic but he dealt well with the pressure and kept a close eye on Messi.
Arsenal 0 Barcelona 2 player ratings Coquelin 7 out of 10 A disciplined, commanding display at the heart of the Arsenal rearguard. He wasn’t afraid of getting physical in slowing Barcelona’s attacks, and it worked.
Arsenal 0 Barcelona 2 player ratings Ramsey 7 out of 10 The embodiment of so much that Arsenal got right tonight. Ramsey was committed in defence but drove forward to provide support to Giroud through the middle.
2016 The Arsenal Football Club Plc
Arsenal 0 Barcelona 2 player ratings Oxlade-Chamberlain 6 out of 10 Full of industry but somewhat lacking in quality in critical moments, as typified when he missed a dream chance from close range on 22 minutes.
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Arsenal 0 Barcelona 2 player ratings Ozil 6 out of 10 This wasn’t a game suited to Ozil’s qualities, with Arsenal rarely having the ball for long enough for him to settle. Impressive in patches but no more than that.
2016 The Arsenal Football Club Plc
Arsenal 0 Barcelona 2 player ratings Sanchez 7 out of 10 Much improved from his recent indifferent spell, he powered at the heart of Barcelona’s defence, giving Pique plenty of cause for concern.
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Arsenal 0 Barcelona 2 player ratings Giroud 7 out of 10 Embraced his aerial dominance over Mascherano and Pique, offering his team-mates a vital outball when the pressure became too much to bear.
Arsenal 0 Barcelona 2 player ratings Barcelona: Ter Stegen 7 out of 10 Arguably the busier of the two keepers, he saved well from Oxlade-Chamberlain in the first half before diving low to block Giroud’s header on the hour.
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Arsenal 0 Barcelona 2 player ratings Alves 5 out of 10 Guilty of firing cross after cross onto Mertesacker’s head no matter how often Arsenal resisted his deliveries. Offered little going forward and struggled to tame Sanchez.
2016 The Arsenal Football Club Plc
Arsenal 0 Barcelona 2 player ratings Pique 7 out of 10 Found himself mopping up behind his full-backs more often than he would have liked but he did it with supreme composure.
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Arsenal 0 Barcelona 2 player ratings Mascherano 7 out of 10 Dived in to deny Giroud a great goalscoring chance on the hour in what may have been a crucial tackle in the course of the match.
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Arsenal 0 Barcelona 2 player ratings Alba 5 out of 10 Could have been a greater threat going forward but in truth Alba offered little to this contest bar a petulant attempt to get Giroud cautioned.
Arsenal 0 Barcelona 2 player ratings Rakitic 7 out of 10 Neat and tidy in possession and impressive when Barcelona got on the front foot, he helped dictate Barcelona’s attacking play at its best.
Arsenal 0 Barcelona 2 player ratings Busquets 8 out of 10 Superbly marshalled the space Arsenal looked to break into, making several critical interventions when Sanchez looked to threaten ter Stegen and company.
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Arsenal 0 Barcelona 2 player ratings Iniesta 7 out of 10 Took his time to take command of the game but in the second half he kept finding the space in behind Arsenal’s tiring backline.
Arsenal 0 Barcelona 2 player ratings Suarez 5 out of 10 Spurned his fair share of chances when it looked like Barcelona were going to be held at bay and should have had two goals at least.
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Arsenal 0 Barcelona 2 player ratings Messi 8 out of 10 After a quiet 72 minutes he found himself in the right place to convert when the chance fell to him, calmly taking a touch then firing past Cech.
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Arsenal 0 Barcelona 2 player ratings Neymar 8 out of 10 The most dangerous of the trident, he seemed to have blown several presentable chances early in the second half but was inspired for Barcelona’s opener.
Since ending his spell in India Pires has been training intermittently at Arsenal.
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