diff --git a/src/Symfony/Bundle/FrameworkBundle/CHANGELOG.md b/src/Symfony/Bundle/FrameworkBundle/CHANGELOG.md
index 139041aba81a..fde20aaaba6e 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Bundle/FrameworkBundle/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/src/Symfony/Bundle/FrameworkBundle/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ CHANGELOG
 -----
 
  * Allowed configuring taggable cache pools via a new `framework.cache.pools.tags` option (bool|service-id)
+ * Deprecated auto-injection of the container in AbstractController instances, register them as service subscribers instead
 
 4.1.0
 -----
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Bundle/FrameworkBundle/Controller/ControllerResolver.php b/src/Symfony/Bundle/FrameworkBundle/Controller/ControllerResolver.php
index 27e714acc86e..d8f2cd8e1af8 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Bundle/FrameworkBundle/Controller/ControllerResolver.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Bundle/FrameworkBundle/Controller/ControllerResolver.php
@@ -51,16 +51,22 @@ protected function createController($controller)
      */
     protected function instantiateController($class)
     {
-        return $this->configureController(parent::instantiateController($class));
+        return $this->configureController(parent::instantiateController($class), $class);
     }
 
-    private function configureController($controller)
+    private function configureController($controller, string $class)
     {
         if ($controller instanceof ContainerAwareInterface) {
             $controller->setContainer($this->container);
         }
-        if ($controller instanceof AbstractController && null !== $previousContainer = $controller->setContainer($this->container)) {
-            $controller->setContainer($previousContainer);
+        if ($controller instanceof AbstractController) {
+            if (null === $previousContainer = $controller->setContainer($this->container)) {
+                @trigger_error(sprintf('Auto-injection of the container for "%s" is deprecated since Symfony 4.2. Configure it as a service instead.', $class), E_USER_DEPRECATED);
+                // To be uncommented on Symfony 5:
+                //throw new \LogicException(sprintf('"%s" has no container set, did you forget to define it as a service subscriber?', $class));
+            } else {
+                $controller->setContainer($previousContainer);
+            }
         }
 
         return $controller;
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Bundle/FrameworkBundle/Tests/Controller/ControllerResolverTest.php b/src/Symfony/Bundle/FrameworkBundle/Tests/Controller/ControllerResolverTest.php
index a4529a657c7f..d5d35cf4e285 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Bundle/FrameworkBundle/Tests/Controller/ControllerResolverTest.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Bundle/FrameworkBundle/Tests/Controller/ControllerResolverTest.php
@@ -92,6 +92,10 @@ class_exists(AbstractControllerTest::class);
         $this->assertSame($container, $controller->getContainer());
     }
 
+    /**
+     * @group legacy
+     * @expectedDeprecation Auto-injection of the container for "Symfony\Bundle\FrameworkBundle\Tests\Controller\TestAbstractController" is deprecated since Symfony 4.2. Configure it as a service instead.
+     */
     public function testAbstractControllerGetsContainerWhenNotSet()
     {
         class_exists(AbstractControllerTest::class);
@@ -110,6 +114,10 @@ class_exists(AbstractControllerTest::class);
         $this->assertSame($container, $controller->setContainer($container));
     }
 
+    /**
+     * @group legacy
+     * @expectedDeprecation Auto-injection of the container for "Symfony\Bundle\FrameworkBundle\Tests\Controller\DummyController" is deprecated since Symfony 4.2. Configure it as a service instead.
+     */
     public function testAbstractControllerServiceWithFcqnIdGetsContainerWhenNotSet()
     {
         class_exists(AbstractControllerTest::class);