Flashscore visited the site of the old ground, which has been given a new lease of life in the heart of a typical North London neighbourhood.
May 7th, 2006. Matchday 38 of the Premier League. 3pm. For the final time, the Arsenal starting XI, captained by Thierry Henry, walked through the Highbury tunnel and onto the pitch, ready to face Wigan Athletic.
Two years had passed since the Invincibles' title triumph, and now the goal was different: securing a place in the Champions League. Arsene Wenger’s men managed to turn the farewell into a magical afternoon.
Thierry Henry scored a hat-trick while Tottenham were losing to West Ham. Arsenal overtook their rivals to secure fourth place and a spot in Europe’s elite competition.
Sitting in the East Stand was Michael, now 86, who remembers that late afternoon, now two decades ago.
“It was the perfect way to say goodbye to Highbury, a memorable afternoon,” he recalled to Flashscore.
Our conversation began inside Highbury, where we entered almost by chance. We left Arsenal tube station and walked up Highbury Hill, where the trees and house fronts give no hint that you’re near one of the most iconic football stadiums of the 20th century.
A remnant of another era, when the club was at the heart of the neighbourhood, very different from the sealed-off stadiums of the 21st century, built in vast areas with shopping centres and ever greater distance from the local community.
“Back then, you could get into the president’s club, I even met some of the players, we’d walk past the dressing rooms – now it’s impossible. They’re almost untouchable,” Michael lamented, pointing out the East Stand, where he had his season ticket – the same stand where he now sits at the Emirates.
“I preferred Highbury.”
A second life
Just 300 metres from the new Emirates, Highbury was not completely demolished. After that magical afternoon in 2006, it was given a new life.
After 93 years as Arsenal’s home, the ground was transformed into a residential complex called Highbury Square. The stands where fans once sat are now the structure for one, two and three-bedroom flats and penthouses.
If it weren’t for some of the preserved facades and the plaques giving it away, few would realise they were standing where Henry and Bergkamp once worked their magic for the Invincibles, or where John Radford and Jon Sammels scored within two minutes to complete a famous comeback against Anderlecht in the 1970 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup final.
Now, elderly residents stroll their dogs here, or parents hurry home with their children at the end of another working day, on ground that was once sacred to thousands of London fans.
It officially opened in 2009 and is now almost fully occupied.
Ciara is one of the residents, having recently moved in with her boyfriend. “I’m not an Arsenal fan, but it’s amazing to be surrounded by all this atmosphere," she said.
"My boyfriend is a football fan and he loves it. It’s really cool living inside a stadium – a lot of my friends support Arsenal and they’re very jealous.”
Twenty years on, Arsenal look well placed to win the Premier League for the first time since moving to the Emirates.
It would be the first modern celebration, with the shadow of Highbury and the memories of past glories still lingering where children now play, just nearby.