Lauren describes angry dressing room bust-up with Arsenal legend

Lauren says he smashed a mirror in a furious dressing room bust-up with Arsenal legend Thierry Henry at half-time in a Champions League clash in 2001.

The former Cameroon international was part of Arsene Wenger’s ‘Invincibles’ that went the whole season unbeaten in the 2003-04 Premier League campaign.

But the right-back had a few bumps along the way, revealing that he once got so annoyed at Henry that he screamed the Arsenal dressing room down during half-time in a Champions League clash against Deportivo La Coruna.

MAILBOX: Neville was spot on, Newcastle United, whataboutery and…

During the first-half against the Spanish side, Henry – who was expecting a short pass from Lauren – threw his hands in the air as the ball went long over his head.

And that caused Lauren to lose his cool, the former Arsenal defender told The Athletic: “I said to myself, ‘What are you doing that for?’ It was live on TV, the Champions League, in Spain [where Lauren grew up], and all my family and all my friends watched him raising his hands.

“I thought, ‘This guy doesn’t know me.’ I’m very quiet and humble but if you switch the wrong button I don’t mind to face anyone. I just went mad.”

Lauren added: “I waited for everyone to come inside the dressing room and when Thierry came in I took this bottle and threw it at him and it smashed the mirror.

“I nearly broke the dressing room. I wanted to smash him but I didn’t do it because we wouldn’t win without Thierry of course.

“I was screaming at everyone to shut up. It was hushed in there, like a cemetery. Everyone was surprised. ‘Why is this guy doing this to Thierry Henry?!’ We were all competitive players with ambition.”

The F365 Show is on hiatus until the football returns. Subscribe now ready for its glorious comeback. In the meantime, listen to the latest episode of Planet Football’s 2000s podcast, The Broken Metatarsal.