The Invincibles Shirt He's Saved for 22 Years | Syed Rashid | Football for Breakfast

Syed Rashid brought an Arsenal shirt to the table. The O2 home kit from the 2003-04 Invincibles season - the last time Arsenal were champions of England. He hasn't worn it since 15th May 2004. That conversation was filmed before Arsenal reached the Champions League final and went top of the Premier League with two games to play. Syed is Vice President of Worldwide Market Access and Government Affairs at Samsara Vision, working to bring a groundbreaking implantable telescope to patients with late stage age-related macular degeneration. His job is to convince health authorities around the world to fund technology that gives blind people their sight back. Faces. Words. Hobbies they gave up years ago. The world, coming back into focus. He credits a lot of it to football. In episode four of Football for Breakfast, Jim Johnson sits down with Syed in the greasy spoon cafe to talk about Arsenal, leadership and what the game teaches you about bringing people with you. They start in 1979. Syed grew up two miles from Wembley in Harrow, watching the FA Cup final on a black and white TV. Alan Sunderland scores in the fifth minute of injury time and a guy with a big afro becomes the reason Syed follows Arsenal for the next 45 years. From the North Bank at Highbury to the Emirates bond scheme, from the George Graham drinking culture to the nutrition revolution Wenger brought from Japan - Syed has watched Arsenal change, and seen every one of those changes reflected in his own career. He talks about influencing without authority - getting people to cross the line of their own free will when you're not their line manager. About leading global teams through mergers at Sanofi, Abbott and Johnson and Johnson. About what Wenger's transformation of Arsenal tells you about building culture, and what Arteta's journey tells you about backing a vision when everyone is losing patience. And then there's the shirt. Last worn 15th May 2004. He has an idea about when he might put it back on. Jim reveals he owns a Freddie Ljungberg away shirt from the same season, signed by the entire squad, that he wore under his jacket to feel invincible in meetings. They might be the only two people on the planet who understand exactly what the other means. The result neither of them will ever get over? Barcelona 2006. Champions League final. Turns out it's Jim's too. This is Football for Breakfast. Cafes. Clubs. Communities. Culture. ⏱ CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 00:33 Welcome to Football for Breakfast 01:00 Ian Botham's Football League debut 02:21 Syed's earliest memory - 1979 FA Cup final 03:41 Growing up two miles from Wembley 05:00 Grandstand, the teleprinter and cup final day on BBC 07:00 Alan Sunderland and why Syed chose Arsenal 08:00 Community, belonging and being tested together 09:30 25 years as an Arsenal season ticket holder 10:00 The North Bank, the bond scheme and the Emirates 12:00 Grassroots football - Vauxhall FC and his son 14:30 The social side of grassroots and growing up together 15:00 OSS Security - presented by OSS Security 16:10 From medical rep to global healthcare leadership 17:00 Influencing without authority 18:30 More Don Howe than Terry Neill 19:00 Global teams, Sanofi and leading through mergers 20:00 The Samsara Vision telescope - helping blind patients see again 21:30 Convincing health authorities to fund the technology 23:00 Trust, openness and honesty in healthcare and football 24:00 Wenger, culture change and backing a vision 25:00 Arteta's journey and working in a startup 26:00 The Invincibles shirt - last worn 15th May 2004 28:30 Jim's Ljungberg shirt and feeling invincible in meetings 30:00 Wearing the shirt on the 25th of May 31:00 Penalty shootout - five quickfire questions 32:00 The one result Syed will never get over 33:00 Jim's is the same. And he's not the guest 34:00 Syed becomes a Good Companion 🎙 ABOUT SYED RASHID Syed Rashid is VP of Worldwide Market Access and Government Affairs at Samsara Vision, with 25+ years in medical devices and pharmaceuticals across Sanofi, Abbott and Johnson and Johnson. 🔗 LINKS Samsara Vision: samsaravision.com OSS Security: osssecurity.com Newsletter: footballforbreakfastpod.com/newsletter 🎧 Search Football for Breakfast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Football for Breakfast is a production by The Good Companions, presented by OSS Security. New episode every Tuesday morning. #FootballForBreakfast #SyedRashid #SamsaraVision #Arsenal #Invincibles #ArsenalFC #Arteta #PremierLeague #Arsenal2026 #FootballPodcast #Leadership #Healthcare #BusinessPodcast #GoodCompanions