FORMER Arsenal defender Pascal Cygan has claimed Russian models were used as part of a honeytrap to tire out the famous Invincibles side before a Champions League clash.
Arsene Wenger‘s side went unbeaten throughout the entire 2003/04 Premier League campaign.
They also reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League before being eliminated by Chelsea.
But earlier on during their European campaign they were met with a rather unconventional pre-game tactic from Lokomotiv Moscow.
Ex-French centre-back Cygan, 50, has since recalled that in the lead-up to the game Russian models were waiting for them at a bar in a bid to act as a distraction from the match.
Speaking to La Voix du Nord in 2019, he said: “When we entered our hotel in Moscow there were 10 Russian top models waiting for us. They were seated in front of the bar.”
He then went on to add: “We were later told that they had been there to tire us out during the night before the match.
“We didn’t lose, and as far as I remember none of our players were stupid enough to fall into the trap.”
Cygan had a wife and two children back home at the time of the incident.
Arsenal ended up playing out a goalless draw in Russia, before they beat Lokomotiv 2-0 in the reverse fixture three months later.
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Cygan spent four season in North London, racking up 98 appearances for the club.
His only major trophy at Arsenal came in the shape of the 2003/04 Premier League title.
He then left to join Villarreal in 2006 for £2million.
He ended his career with two years at Spanish second-tier side Cartagena, retiring in 2011 after being released by the club.
