History
The inaugural tournament took place on 28 July and 29 July 2007 and featured the hosts, as well as reigning Serie A champions Internazionale, French side Paris Saint-Germain and Spanish outfit Valencia (having replaced German team Hamburg, who had to pull out of the tournament because of Intertoto Cup commitments). Arsenal did not play against Valencia, and Inter did not play against PSG. The tournament was well attended with over 110,000 filling the Emirates Stadium across the two day tournament.
As of 2008, Emirates have since agreed to host the tournament for a further three years. The 2008 Emirates Cup participants were Real Madrid, Juventus, and Hamburg.
The 2009 Emirates Cup took place on 1 August and 2 August and featured Atlético Madrid, Rangers, and Paris Saint-Germain.
The 2010 edition of the Emirates Cup took place on the weekend of 31 July and 1 August with Milan, Celtic, and Lyon joining hosts Arsenal.
The 2011 Emirates Cup featured Boca Juniors, Paris Saint-Germain and New York Red Bulls, on 30–31 July. The participation of the Red Bulls meant Thierry Henry played against his former club. This also marks the first time a Major League Soccer team participated in the Emirates Cup. The Red Bulls were the victors after beating PSG and tying Arsenal on an own goal in the 84th minute by Arsenal defender Kyle Bartley.
Read more about this topic: Emirates Cup
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