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Arsene Wenger is one of the most storied managers in the history of the sport. He is best known for his more than two-decade reign at Arsenal, where he won three Premier League titles.
The Gunners, under the 72-year-old Frenchman, were renowned for their beautiful and aesthetically pleasing style of one-touch football, a purist's delight. However, they were often found wanting against better teams at the business end of competitions.
Nevertheless, there's nothing to belittle Wenger's achievements at the club - over 700 wins across competitions and the memorable 'Invincibles' 2003-04 Premier League campaign.
Wenger, in his own words, once described his playing style:
“My vision is that normally you need to win and win with style. Winning should be the result of the quality of your playing style and how you express yourself on the pitch."
Unsurprisingly, many attacking players with aesthetically pleasing games thrived under the French legend. On that note, here's a look at the five players with the most goals under Arsene Wenger:
#5 Denis Bergkamp - 98 goals
Dennis Bergkamp is one of the best players to have played under Arsene Wenger. The Dutchman played over 350 games across competitions under the French coach, bagging 98 goals and 92 assists.
He contributed 29 goals and 20 assists in Arsenal's three Premier League triumphs under the Frenchman, including the 2003-04 'Invincibles' campaign. A scorer of beautiful goals, Bergkamp was the epitome of a quintessential Wenger player.
Wenger said of Bergkamp:
"You do not find a player like that everywhere you go, It was a blessing, a gift when I arrived. A lot has been said about Dennis over the years; about his class, about his intelligence – his remarkable intelligence - about his vision, basically you can never say enough about the player."
It was perhaps fitting that Bergkamp called time on his illustrious career under Wenger in 2006.
#4 Olivier Giroud - 105 goals
Olivier Giroud is one of the most prolific goalscorers under his compatriot Wenger. With over 100 goals and 41 assists in over 250 games across competitions under Wenger, Giroud had a fairly decent six-season stint with Arsenal in the 2010s.
A three-time FA Cup and Super Cup winner with the Gunners, the French striker was a consistent, if not spectacular, performer at the north London club. In his best campaign under Wenger in 2013-14, Giroud bagged 22 goals and 12 assists across competitions.
Wenger once said about his compatriot:
"He has an absolutely strong mentality and strong motivational level and has qualities that nobody else has. He can always be a resource inside a club even when he doesn’t start the game, and has an immaculate mentality. He is a real team player what is not always the case for strikers, and overall I think he is an exceptional personality."
Giroud left the Gunners in January 2018 to join Chelsea.
#3 Theo Walcott - 108 goals
Theo Walcott became one of the youngest players to debut for Arsenal when the then 17-year-old was handed his first-team debut by Arsene Wenger in 2006.
In his 12 years at the north London club, the English winger made nearly 400 appearances across competitions, contributing over a hundred goals and 78 assists. In his best season under Wenger in 2012-13, Walcott contributed 21 goals and 16 assists across four different competitions.
Wenger once said about the three-time FA Cup and two-time Super Cup winner:
“He’s ready to fight, to commit, and you know straight away he gets the crowd behind him. A Theo Walcott of that stature is a completely different player.”
The 32-year-old currently plies his trade at Southampton.
#2 Robin van Persie - 132 goals
Robin van Persie is one of the best out-and-out strikers to have played under Arsene Wenger.
The Dutchman spent a hugely successful eight-season stint at the Emirates in the mid-2000s and early 2010s. Van Persie scored 132 goals and bagged 52 assists in over 278 games across competitions.
In his last season under Wenger in 2011-12, the Dutchman made a staggering 50 goal contributions (37 goals and 13 assists) across competitions. That prompted Manchester United to snap up his services.
Wenger spoke about the two-time Premier League Golden Boot winner:
People ask why Robin plays at centre-forward, because he is not a centre-forward, but players like him have the intelligence to be in the right place at the right moment. It is very satisfying to have seen him come through from a young age."
Van Persie retired at Feyenoord in 2019.
#1 Thierry Henry - 228 goals
Thierry Henry is arguably the best player managed by Arsene Wenger during his storied managerial career.
Henry scored a stunning 228 goals for the club across two spells, becoming Arsenal's all-time top-scorer after Wenger moved him from the wings to centre-forward.
The three-time Premier League Golden Boot winner won two league titles with the Gunners. During their historic 'Invincibles' campaign in 2003-04, the Frenchman contributed 30 strikes and nine assists.
Henry was part of Barcelona's continental treble-winning 2008-09 team before retiring in 2014.
