From Charlie George to Thierry Henry, we count down the ultimate list of Arsenal legends and reveal the greatest Gunner of all time.
Some wonderful footballers have represented Arsenal during their long history. From the all-conquering sides of the 1930s to the 2003/04 Invincibles, the Gunners have featured some of the finest players in the world in their ranks, and there is huge competition for places in any all-time Arsenal team.
In recent years, star players like Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard have seen Arsenal feature regularly among the favourites in the football betting to win major trophies. It would be no surprise to see some of the Gunners’ current players earn legendary status in years to come.
Here, we count down the top 10 players ever to wear the famous red and white shirt.
Best Arsenal players ever
10: Charlie George
Boyhood Arsenal fan Charlie George made fewer than 150 league appearances for the Gunners but he is fondly remembered for scoring one of the most iconic goals in the club’s history.
The long-haired youngster struck a spectacular extra-time winner in the 1971 FA Cup final against Liverpool, less than two years after his professional debut, to seal a 2-1 victory and Arsenal’s first double.
9: Cliff Bastin
Part of Herbert Chapman’s all-conquering team of the 1930s, winger Cliff Bastin won five First Division titles and two FA Cups during his illustrious career.
He scored 178 goals for the Gunners in all competitions, which stood as a club record for half a century until Ian Wright finally eclipsed it in 1997.
8: David Seaman
Signed from Queens Park Rangers in 1990, goalkeeper David Seaman conceded only 18 league goals in his first season at Arsenal, helping George Graham’s side win the First Division.
Seaman, capped 75 times by England, won two more league titles under Arsene Wenger and one of his greatest saves, against Sheffield United in the 2003 FA Cup semi-final, came in his last season at the club.
7: Robert Pires
Elegant winger Robert Pires was one of Wenger’s finest French imports, starring in the 2001-02 and 2003-04 Premier League-winning campaigns.
He was named Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year in 2001-02 and made the PFA Team of the Year three seasons running.
Pires was at the heart of the dazzling football played by Wenger’s Arsenal and he relished taking on rivals Tottenham, scoring eight goals in 13 north-London derbies.
6: Liam Brady
Dublin-born attacking midfielder Liam Brady played for Arsenal from 1973 to 1980 before moving to Juventus, where he won back-to-back Serie A titles.
He broke into the first team during a tough period for Arsenal and his only trophy at the club was the FA Cup in 1979, when he became the first foreign player to be named PFA Player of the Year.
Brady is remembered as one of the most talented players to represent Arsenal and his 59 goals for the Gunners included a glorious curling strike from the edge of the box in a 5-0 rout of Spurs in 1978.
5: Patrick Vieira
Signed for just £3.5m at the start of Wenger’s reign, Patrick Vieira developed into one of the world’s most complete midfielders and an inspirational Arsenal captain.
The 1998 World Cup winner never shirked a challenge – his tally of eight red cards remains a Premier League record – and his last act as an Arsenal player was scoring the winning penalty in the 2005 FA Cup final against bitter rivals Manchester United.
4: Ian Wright
A late developer when it came to professional football, Ian Wright was nearly 28 when he joined Arsenal from Crystal Palace in September 1991.
He needed little time to establish himself as a Highbury favourite, winning the First Division Golden Boot in his maiden season in north London.
Both a great goalscorer and a scorer of great goals, Wright took only six years to become Arsenal’s record scorer, going past Cliff Bastin’s mark of 178 with a hat-trick against Bolton.
3: Tony Adams
Centre-back Tony Adams was known as Mr Arsenal, having been appointed captain in 1988 at the age of just 21.
His career at the club spanned almost 20 years and he played a vital role in the Gunners’ success under Graham and Wenger, helping to seal the Premier League title in 1997-98 with a cracking goal against Everton at Highbury.
2: Dennis Bergkamp
After arriving from Inter for a club-record fee in 1995, Dennis Bergkamp spent the rest of his career at Arsenal, lighting up the Premier League with his spectacular goals and inch-perfect assists.
The Dutchman was outstanding in the 1997-98 double-winning campaign and his memorable strike against Newcastle in 2002 was voted the best goal of the Premier League’s first 25 years.
1: Thierry Henry
Like Adams and Bergkamp, Thierry Henry has been honoured with a statue outside the Emirates Stadium and he remains Arsenal’s all-time leading scorer with 228 goals.
Henry’s pace, finesse and clinical finishing made him a nightmare for defenders and he scored 30 league goals in Arsenal’s unbeaten 2003-04 league campaign.
Arsenal all-time XI
Arsenal have had some fantastic squads during their history. Here is a team made up of the finest players to have played for the Gunners.
GK: David Seaman
RB: Lee Dixon
CB: Tony Adams
CB: Sol Campbell
LB: Ashley Cole
RM: Bukayo Saka
CM: Patrick Vieira
CM: Liam Brady
LM: Robert Pires
ST: Dennis Bergkamp
ST: Thierry Henry
Who is Arsenal’s best player of all time?
Thierry Henry is widely considered Arsenal’s greatest ever player. The French striker scored 228 goals during his career for the Gunners and was one of the greatest players in the world throughout his time in north London. With exceptional pace, skill and finishing ability, Henry was a feared striker and an incredible all-round player who won the Premier League Golden Boot a record four times and also broke the record for assists in a season with 20 in 2002/03.
Arsenal captains list
Many of Arsenal’s greatest players have also worn the captain’s armband. Here is a full list of the players to have been named Arsenal’s club captain:
David Danskin (1886-1889)
Arthur Brown (1889)
Morris Bates (1889-1890)
Bill Julian (1890-1891)
Sandy Robertson (1891-1892)
Robert Buist (1891-1892)
David Howat (1891-1892)
Tom Graham (1891-1892)
William Stewart (1891-1892)
Charles Booth (1892-1893)
Joe Powell (1893-1894)
David Howat (1894-1895)
Caesar Jenkyns (1895-1896)
Gavin Crawford (1896-1898)
John Anderson (1898-1899)
Joe Murphy (1899-1900)
Duncan McNichol (1900-1901)
Jimmy Jackson (1901-1905)
John Dick (1905-1906)
Percy Sands (1906-1919)
Joe Shaw (1919-1920)
Frank Bradshaw (1920-1922)
Alex Graham (1922-1923)
Billy Blyth (1923-1924)
Alf Baker (1924-1925)
Charlie Buchan (1925-1928)
Billy Blyth (1928-1929)
Tom Parker (1929-1932)
Charlie Jones (1932-1933)
Alex James (1933-1937)
Eddie Hapgood (1937-1944)
George Male (1944-1947)
Joe Mercer (1947-1954)
Jimmy Logie (1954)
Walley Barnes (1954-1955)
Don Roper (1955-1956)
Cliff Holton (1956)
Peter Goring (1956-1957)
Cliff Holton (1957)
Dennis Evans (1957-1958)
Dave Bowen (1958-1959)
Vic Groves (1959-1962)
Terry Neill (1962-1963)
George Eastham (1963-1966)
Don Howe (1966-1967)
Frank McLintock (1967-1973)
Bob McNab (1973-1974)
Alan Ball (1974-1975)
Eddie Kelly (1975)
Alan Ball (1975-1976)
Pat Rice (1976-1980)
David O’Leary (1980-1983)
Graham Rix (1983-1986)
Kenny Sansom (1986-1988)
Tony Adams (1988-2002)
Patrick Vieira (2002-2005)
Thierry Henry (2005-2007)
William Gallas (2007-2008)
Cesc Fabregas (2008-2011)
Robin van Persie (2011-2012)
Thomas Vermaelen (2012-2014)
Mikel Arteta (2014-2016)
Per Mertesacker (2016-2018)
Laurent Koscielny (2018-2019)
Granit Xhaka (2019)
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2019-2021)
Alexandre Lacazette (2021-2022)
Martin Ødegaard (2022-present)
