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Founded in 1886, Arsenal FC is arguably one of the most remarkable teams of the English Football. Affectionately known as “Gunners” by its fans, Arsenal has witnessed many periods of unrivalled success throughout its history. In fact, the club holds a coveted record of having the longest ever spell of being in the first division having not been relegated since their early ages of 1913.
In the domestic front, the club has won 13 first-division titles including the famous “invincible” in the 2003-04 season, 2 League Cups, 15 FA Community Shields, and a record 13 FA Cups- latest being the FA Cup 2016-17. Though in Europe, the club historically had a hard-luck with only one UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and an Inter-cities fairs cup as their only victories in the continental stage.
Following the era of world wars, Arsenal established themselves as an unwavering force of the English football by successfully clinching their (then record) 7th first-division title in 1953. However, the following years, known as the “long sleep” by gunners’ fans, the once reckoning force on the pitch, Arsenal failed to win a league or an FA cup for the next 18 years. It was during this time Arsenal saw a massive slump in their youth talent pool leading to almost 2 decades of mid-table mediocrity.
Also read: Arsenal's tryst with uncertainty
The Inter-cities fairs’ cup victory in 1969-70 came as a breakthrough, and the club bounced back strong with a phenomenal league, and an FA Cup double in the 1970-71 season- officially making them as the champions of England. In the coming years, they’d see the club resurge to their early age glory before entering the Premier League, where they would go even beyond!
The gunners transitioned to the Premier League on a high by winning the FA Cup, and League Cup double in 1993 and a European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1994. In 1996, Arsene Wenger took charge and transformed Highbury into an unconquerable fortress by bringing in various changes to the club’s functioning, training ways, and transfer strategies. The Frenchman also brought gems like Patrick Viera and eventually Thierry Henry (team’s record goal-scorer) from his homeland, and the rest is history.
Also read: Arsène's Arsenal: Forever and for always
Regardless of anything, these spells of unprecedented success wouldn’t have been possible without the super talented players who joined the Gunners family and became a part of it for the rest of their lives.
Let’s take a look at 10 of these players who’re often regarded as the “Best of Arsenal”:
#10 David Seaman
Seaman joined Arsenal in 1990 and played an imperative role in his team’s successful title defence by conceding only 18 goals in his debut season. However, he established himself as an impenetrable wall on the day when he stopped 3 penalties in the 1993 League Cup final against Millwall.
His career coincided with Arsenal’s most successful periods as he won 1 first-division, 2 Premier Leagues, and 4 FA Cups and made 568 appearances.
#9 Sol Campbell
Campbell ensured that he'd stay a villain in the eyes of every Spurs fan after he ditched White Hart Lane to join gunners on a free transfer in 2001. But, he answered every piece of vitriol thrown at him with stunning performances on pitch throughout his career.
In his 5 years with Arsenal, he made 195 appearances, scored on 11 occasions, won 2 FA Cups, and 2 Premier Leagues (including the “invincible” 2003-04 season). Later, he moved to Portsmouth and League-2 side Notts County in a surprising move before retiring in 2011 at Newcastle.
#8 Freddie Ljungberg
The Swede midfielder moved to Highbury in 1998 and quickly established himself as one of the Wenger’s favourite. Ljungberg was noted for his quick sprints and swift attacks on the opposite post even when he was struggling with recurring knee injuries and migraine.
He made 315 appearances in which he scored 70 times. He won 2 Premier Leagues and 3 FA Cups (also scoring in 2 consecutive finals) before moving to West Ham in 2007.
#7 Liam Brady
The mid-70s saw Arsenal slump badly with a series of finishes around the lower end of the table.
This man, Liam Brady kept the hopes of a come back alive with his superb performances on the pitch and pushed Arsenal to consecutive FA Cup finals between 1978-90, winning the middle one of the three.
Liam made 238 appearances and scored on 43 occasions for Arsenal.
#6 Tony Adams
“Mr Arsenal” had 669 appearances, 10 major titles, 48 goals, and almost 2 decades of defending the Gunners’ post before retiring in 2002. Hence, “legend” would be an understatement for someone like him.
His prowess in defending for a long time remained unrivalled in English football as he continued racking up his stash of medals season-by-season. Even off the pitch, he was a stirring figure to look up to.
In 2011, Arsenal unveiled his statue at Emirates to honour him.
#5 Ian Wright
He scored a hat-trick on his league debut and ended up being the top goal-scorer that season. Pretty assertive of his talents, huh?
Well, it didn’t just end there. Ian turned out to be a goal machine, scoring an astounding 185 goals in just 289 appearances. He was an uncontested force on the pitch and off the pitch, he was known for his hysterical antiques!
With Gunners, he won one Premier League and two FA Cups.
#4 Robert Pires
The Frenchman arrived from Marseille in 2000, however, not with the form he had with his former club, leading to an initial struggle phase.
Once over it, Pires became a nightmare for the opposing defence with his sublime skills and techniques on the pitch. He also played an important role in Arsenal’s campaign of 2003-04, netting the ball on 14 occasions.
He won 2 Premier Leagues, 2 FA Cups and scored 84 goals in 284 appearances.
#3 Patrick Vieira
Viera is regarded as one of the finest midfielders of his generation.
After a season spent on benches at San Siro, he moved to Arsenal, and it turned out to be the best decision he’d ever make! He went on to play a pivotal role in Arsenal’s two domestic doubles and a momentous unbeaten 2003-04 season.
He was an inspiring leader and one of the most influential gunners ever. Viera scored 34 goals in 407 appearances for Arsenal and recorded his name among the legends forever.
#2 Dennis Bergkamp
A flawless passer of the ball and a master play-maker, Bergkamp was known to create excellent chances even out of thin air. The “non-flying Dutchman” as the gunners named him due to his fear of flying, is widely regarded as the player whose signing marked the beginning of an era of great success during the late 90s and early 2000s. Even the legendary Arsene Wenger claimed his presence to be a “blessing”.
The only Dutchman till date to feature in the English Football Hall of Fame and one of the Pele’s FIFA living 100, Bergkamp is arguably one of the most iconic players of his generation.
With Arsenal, he won 3 Premier Leagues and 4 FA Cups along with a Ballon d’Or runner-up (1992) and a third place (1993).
#1 Thierry Henry
Many regard him as the greatest player to ever sport an Arsenal jersey; Thierry Henry was pretty much an expert in every role he ever played, whether it’s the winger, penalty taker, or assist-maker.
Since his arrival at Arsenal, he transformed himself into this beast of a striker and eventually became Arsenal’s all-time leading goal-scorer in history with a mammoth 226 goals in 370 appearances he made. Unsurprisingly, accolades too came to him with as his time progressed with the gunners. In 2007, Henry won 2 Premier Leagues and 2 FA Cups before moving to Barcelona to seek much greater highs.
Even in his international career, he overtook Platini as France’s all-time leading goal-scorer as he engraved his name in the hearts of everyone who enjoys the beautiful game.
