Our definitive run down of Arsenal’s best players ever.
10. David Seaman 1993-2005
Quite possibly the finest goalkeeper that the club has ever had. ‘Old safe hands’ kept the number one shirt all to himself for 12 years and was England’s undisputed number one during this time too, rarely ever let the side down apart from when he grew a hideous ponytail towards the end of his career.
9. Tony Adams 1983 – 2002
Arsenal’s own captain fantastic was one of the key figures in the side that saw them begin a short period of dominance of the Premier League in the late ’90s and did so whilst battling a number of personal demons. A terrific servant for the club, he spent just shy of 20 years at Highbury.
8. Cesc Fabregas 2003-11
Never has a young player made such an impact on a club before. Fabregas broke through into the first team as a teenager but quickly became a staple part of the side and even went on to captain the squad before moving back to Barcelona in 2011.
7. Liam Brady 1973 – 1980
The Republic of Ireland man signed with the Gunners on schoolboy forms in the early ’70s and broke through into the first team at just 17. Though he may not have enjoyed much team success at Highbury, his personal form was close to making him one of the best in the world and he was quickly snapped up for a long career in Italy.
6. Cliff Bastin 1929 – 1947
Helped the club to dominate the football landscape in the 1920s, his goalscoring exploits were legendary at the time and his record would stand for close to 80 years. World War Two robbed him of the peak of his career and he would only play seven more times past his 30th birthday due to a persistent leg injury.
5. Paul Merson 1987-1995
‘Magic Merse’ set a name for himself in north London and illuminated games with his tricky dribbling and fancy flicks. Like Tony Adams his career was locked in battle with a slew of personal demons, but he still managed to wrack up quite a healthy trophy cabinet during his 12 years at the club. Sadly only won 21 international caps.
4. Dennis Bergkamp 1995-2006
There was only one club that Bergkamp suited. Despite coming through the ranks at Ajax, and featuring briefly for a stylish Inter Milan side, it was only Arsenal that suited his style best and Arsene Wenger was the best man to get it out of him. His style, grace, ability and attitude summed the club up during their most successful period and his influence continued on strongly until the final days of his career.
3. Patrick Vieira 1996-2005
The second captain fantastic on the list is Vieira, who was a warrior when the club needed one the most. Picked up from AC Milan’s reserve team, it didn’t take him long to become one of the most revered and feared midfielders in the English top flight. Skippered the club through several Premier League and FA Cup wins and even won the World Cup whilst with the Gunners. Wenger was criticised for selling him to Juventus, but the deal highlighted what his plans for the club was and Vieira represented excellent value for money.
2. Ian Wright 1991-98
Wrighty was an absolute goal machine – there is not other way to put it and he proved that he was able to do it for one of the big boys when question marks were raised over his signing from Crystal Palace in the early ’90s. Signing on at the ripe age of 28 he broke Cliff Bastin’s long standing goal record (even if he did celebrate the occasion a game too early) and became a firm favourite amongst fans with his happy go lucky demeanour.
1. Thierry Henry 1999 – 2007, 2012
Majestic, brilliant, mesmerising – there are not enough superlatives for describing Henry and his time at Arsenal. Wenger signed him as a World Cup winner, and that was before his career had even got started and then sat back and watched as he consistently set the Premier League alight with his pacey runs, outrageous trickery and ornate goalscoring ability. It took him only a few short seasons to break both Cliff Bastin’s and Ian Wright’s goalscoring records and the only negative of his time at the club was the failure to win the Champions League.