On 13th May 2002 a special game took place at Highbury for one Arsenal legend of distinctionHis name is Tony Adams, perhaps the greatest captain in our shared history.The man many knew as “Mr Arsenal” skippered the Gunners for 14 years, heralding ten pieces of silverware in that time including four league titles and three FA Cups.He was a stalwart in Arsenal’s rigorous back four alongside the likes of Steve Bould, Nigel Winterburn and Lee Dixon.The legend, who has a statue of himself outside the Emirates Stadium in his famous pose with his hands raised in the air, played in 669 mind-blowing matches for the one and only Arsenal during a 19-year tenure at Highbury.A testimonial worthy of ‘Mr Arsenal’After his last match for Arsenal, the 2002 FA Cup final victory over Chelsea (2-0) which saw Arsène Wenger seal the Gunners’ third and final double in history, Adams prepared for his testimonial.The match, which sold out after 48 hours and raised almost one million pounds for his charity Sporting Chance, aimed at helping those battling alcoholism which he had suffered from earlier in his career, was held at Highbury where 38,000 fans turned up for the occasion.Arsenal invited 6,000 enthusiastic Celtic supporters to North London for the event who cheerily shouted, “Tony, Tony, give us a wave.”Arsène Wenger’s Arsenal, who would go on to seal the Premier League Invincibles name tag two years later, fell a goal down in the 32nd minute following an Alan Thompson free-kick which John Lukic struggled to get his hands to.Tony Adams (Getty Images)A hero’s farewellIn the final third the North Londoners bounced back with the decisive goal of the testimonial, rescuing a draw for Adams’ big day after Dixon blasted his header into the back of the net as if his and his teammates’ lives depended on it (1-1).At the end of the game, when Adams tried to give a farewell speech, he was drowned out by the Arsenal fans chanting “one more year,” which he ultimately did not sign up for.Adams is a man many admire to this day at Arsenal and is the perfect example of a “one-club man.”Liam Harding__________________________________________________________________________________________ADMIN COMMENTSo here are some simple rules which I must insist commenters follow….You agree not to give any personal abuse to other Arsenal fans. Everyone is allowed to hold their own opinions even if you disagree with them. It COSTS NOTHING TO BE POLITE TO OTHER ARSENAL FANS.CALLING ALL ARSENAL FANS! Anyone who would like to contribute an Article or Video opinion piece on JustArsenal, please contact us through this link…More Stories / Latest NewsArsenal History: Tony Adam’s testimonial match, 1-1 v Celtic in 20022 October 2025, 22:45Joe Cole reckons ‘silly’ Arsenal fans could damage club’s silverware chances2 October 2025, 21:15Mikel Arteta reveals why he omitted youngster from latest Premier League fixture2 October 2025, 20:00The post Arsenal History: Tony Adam’s testimonial match, 1-1 v Celtic in 2002 appeared first on Just Arsenal News.