What became of Highbury, Arsenal’s legendary stadium where Thierry Henry made history?

Passion for a team is not only about its victories. It is something more. The colors, the crest, the stadium – in short, all its symbols are part of what can be called love for a club. But, as with love, forever is a very long time, especially in a world like soccer. It is not unusual to see teams give their temples a facelift to make them look more modern and cutting-edge. Yet some stadiums have better luck than others.

Arsenal, who will host Atleti in the Champions League semifinal, are one of the clubs that chose to pack up and move. They now “live” at the Emirates Stadium, on Hornsey Road in London, less than half a mile from Highbury, their former mansion.

When was Highbury demolished?

That stadium was the Gunners’ home from 1913. But at the start of the century, in 2006, the legendary ground swapped fans for residents. The Highbury Square project – 650 luxury homes – rose from the stadium’s rubble. Even so, the relationship with the club was never fully broken: players such as Robert Pires wanted to buy one of the apartments in the complex, and the club itself even acted as developer.

Only the memory of what it once was remains. But those walking near Highbury can still see traces of the old East Stand facade. Its residents can also live every Arsenal fan’s dream: stepping on the original pitch. Although the club’s stars no longer run across it, the green space at the heart of the complex still sits where David O’Leary, Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp once played.

The man behind Anfield, Old Trafford and Highbury

Every work has an author, and in Highbury’s case it was none other than Archibald Leitch. Born in Glasgow in 1865, he was the man behind some of the great steel-and-concrete arenas of British soccer. He began as a designer of factories, some of which gave rise to the first soccer teams in history.

In 1899, Rangers, the team of his childhood, gave him the commission that would change everything: a custom-built stadium. Ibrox Park was his first great masterpiece, although it could also have been his tomb – almost literally. The Scot designed a venue for 80,000 people, something never seen at the time. However, neither the materials nor the techniques were suitable and, a few months after it opened, part of the stand gave way, causing the deaths of several fans.

The “Ibrox Disaster” almost cost him his career. However, his passion for soccer led him to rebuild his failed attempt and improve the techniques he had used. That determination was the key to his success. Anfield, Bramall Lane, Craven Cottage, Hillsborough, Old Trafford, Stamford Bridge, Villa Park, White Hart Lane, Highbury ... his name is written across the length and breadth of the Premier League. In total, he was responsible for more than 20 projects that bore his signature.

Leitch revolutionized soccer from the sidelines. From his mind came the shift from the rudimentary wooden structures of the Victorian era to a blend of brick, steel and concrete. That change in materials allowed him to respond to what soccer demanded: mega-stadiums.

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