The first edition in August 1988 was the perfect curtain-raiser for our historic 1988/89 campaign, which culminated in George Graham’s men lifting the league trophy at Anfield, after a gap of 18 years. 

Initially there was some doubt as to whether the four-team tournament would run, coming as it did in the middle of the ban on English clubs playing in Europe, following the 1985 Heysel Stadium disaster. Fears of hooliganism remained rife. 

But once the ticketing allocations were resolved, the initially sceptical Football Association gave the green light to the project. A total of 20,000 tickets each were allocated to us and rivals Tottenham. A further 20,000 tickets were sold at the ground for supporters of AC Milan and Bayern Munich. Strict segregation was in place at matches. 

George Graham could barely contain his excitement. "It represents a tremendous opportunity for my young players to taste world-class opposition," he said. Graham often stated how much he yearned for us to get our crack at European football. He’d have to wait another three years for the opportunity. 

The schedule was tight. Arsenal would play Tottenham at 1.30pm on Saturday. Milan v Munich followed at 3.30pm. The winner of each game played the loser of the other on the Sunday and the team with the most points, or better goal difference, was awarded the £60,000 prize, a tidy sum of money by the standards of the late ‘80s. 

Given the huge number of players he’d signed in the last year, including full-backs Nigel Winterburn and Lee Dixon, midfielder Kevin Richardson, winger Brian Marwood and new boy Steve Bould - plucked from Stoke City for £390,000 - it was a great opportunity to blend the team. It also gave a chance for young striker Paul Merson, who’d now broken into the first team, to further impress his manager. Chelsea’s Kerry Dixon and West Ham’s Tony Cottee had been suggested as expensive forward options, but now Merson would seize his chance. 

On the Saturday, we laid waste to Tottenham, who had their £2million new signing Paul Gascoigne on show. Presciently, Tottenham boss Terry Venables warned against expecting too much, too soon from his new signing, and his expensive team which also included £1.7million striker Paul Stewart. 

But it was Arsenal who looked by far the better team. Teenage star Merson slotted home past Bobby Mimms to give Arsenal a half-time lead. Late in the second half, Arsenal moved with real authority down the flanks. Brian Marwood scored twice after fantastic runs from David Rocastle and Lee Dixon. Alan Smith, benefiting from Marwood’s incisive wing play, grabbed another. 

The Gunners then hammered Bayern Munich 3-0 on the following day. AC Milan defeated Tottenham 2-1, meaning Graham’s side won the tournament on goal difference, and served notice of our serious intentions as the new season got underway. 

Two years later, the tournament was sponsored by Makita, the Japanese power tool company. Italian side Sampdoria and Spanish outfit Real Sociedad competed alongside Aston Villa and Arsenal. 

Although George Graham’s side lost in the final to Sampdoria, our 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Friday night at Wembley gave a major clue as to how the 1990/91 season would play out. 

After 30 minutes, Anders Limpar, our new Swedish winger, collected the ball on the left of the Villa area and rifled his shot past keeper Nigel Spink from 20 yards. "It was a bit lucky," said the player who’d soon be dubbed the ‘Super Swede’ modestly. Kevin Campbell, who’d play a vital role in the second half of the 90/91 campaign, grabbed a second in the 2-0 win. 

As had been the case in 1988, we had laid down the most impressive of markets. We’d blast our way to the 1991 title in seriously impressive fashion, and then, much to George Graham’s pleasure, finally get our chance to dine at the top table of European competition when the ban on English clubs was lifted at the beginning of the 1991/92 season. We would return to the tournament in its final season of 1994, beating Napoli, Chelsea and Atletico Madrid in the competition, held at our former home, Highbury.