Arsenal were once the target of a honeytrap involving 10 Russian models before a Champions League game.
The Gunners headed to face Lokomotiv Moscow in the group stages of the 2003/04 competition. Given that was to be their Invincibles campaign, chances of victory were slim for the hosts.
So they ingeniously put a plan in place to tire Arsene Wenger's squad out. That's according to former French defender Pascal Cygan, who revealed all when speaking to his local newspaper La Voix du Nord in 2019.
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"When we entered our hotel in Moscow there were 10 Russian top models waiting for us," recalled the 49-year-old, who was happily married with two young daughters at the time. "They were seated in front of the bar.
"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.
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"That was just as well, given the situation at that time. Stories about players' private lives used to appear regularly in the papers."
Having resisted any temptation they may or may not have faced, an Arsenal side featuring the likes of Martin Keown, Robert Pires and Thierry Henry secured a valuable group-stage point on their travels, with Cygan an unused substitute.
Both Pires and Henry missed big chances to grab the winner – so maybe they were still somewhat distracted by the events of the night before.
The reverse fixture at the Emirates ended in a 2-0 win for the home side, but they only made it to the quarter-final stage of that year's Champions League where they were beat over two legs by Chelsea.
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