1. Tony Adams

  • The youngest ever player to captain Arsenal, twenty one years of age in 1988 and went on to captain the side until 2002. One of the most reliable centre backs to ever grace the English game, he was a towering figure in the back for Arsenal.
  • He was one of the ‘famous four’ (aging defenders including Martin Keown, Lee Dixon and Nigel Winterburn) renowned for their discipline and reliability at the back.
  • Adams could be called the perfect player but his career was slightly blighted by alcohol problems. During the early 90’s he was in trouble with the law for drink driving where he was found four times over the limit when he crashed his car into a wall plus various drunken brawls in clubs. In 1996 he finally admitted that he was an alcoholic and immediately turned for help, with the arrival of Arsene Wenger Adams’s recovery clicked into place.
  • He was one of those defenders with a no nonsense attitude, putting his body on the line for his team, a true leader and an incredible fighter.


2. Ian Wright

  • ‘Ian Wright Wright Wright’ used to be a famous chant for hardcore Gooners to show their love and respect for the greatest player with the no.8 on his back. Week in week out Wrighty did what he does best, score cracking goals, his goals came with amusing celebrations that will always be remembered by Gooners.

  • Signed for a then club record fee of £2.5m from Crystal Palace, he was worth every penny of it. On his debut against Leicester City in a League Cup Tie and scored a hat trick on his League debut against Southampton. He won the Golden Boot in his first season with Arsenal and went on to be the club’s top goal scorer in six seasons in a row, it would not be lie to label him as a goal scoring machine. Wrighty scored in every round of the Cup Winners’ Cup in the 1995 campaign but in that year was somewhat a bad year for him.

  • With the man who had tremendous faith in and signed him, George Graham, being sacked new manager Bruce Rioch did not see eye to eye with the Highbury legend. Having been forced to play on the wing (not his natural roll at all) and disagreements with Rioch, Wright handed in a transfer request which he later withdrew. The arrival of Arsene Wenger was somewhat a positive factor for Wright, because at that time he was 33 years old but Wenger still had faith and respect for a figure that would forever stand tall in the name of Arsenal Football Club.

  • On 13th September 1997 in a match against Bolton Wanderers, Wright was short of three goals to break Cliff Bastin’s all time goal scoring record for Arsenal Football Club, he got all three against Bolton that afternoon. The name will forever live amongst the club and supporters.

3. Dennis Bergkamp

  • The Iceman was the first ever world class signing for Arsenal Football Club and is seen as the driving force behind attracting world class players to the club also.

  • After two unhappy seasons at Inter Milan, where he could not adapt to the defensive style of play, Bergkamp was brought to Arsenal by Bruce Rioch for a measly £7.5m not much for a player of such caliber. It took the Iceman eight games to score for his new club but as time went by his figure and reputation grew greater and greater.

  • He played just behind the main striker who at that time happened to be Ian Wright and the two formed a deadly partnership with Bergkamp providing the chances for Wright to execute. Bergkamp himself was a scorer but he was also known for his technique and intelligence, providing killer passes for his team mates to seal the deal. In his Arsenal career the Iceman assisted 166 goals making him the top three assist makers in the Premier League’s history.

  • Bergkamp was renowned for his aviophobia or fear of flying, which started in the 1994 World Cup in America. During his time at Arsenal the best goal he scored, acclaimed by many, was the turn and shoot against Newcastle United, or his hat-trick against Leicester City which made him the first and only player to win Match of the Day top three goals of the month. He may have been the Non-Flying Dutchman to many but to true Gooners will always hold them dear to their hearts as the Iceman.

4. Patrick Vieira

  • Many refer to this man as Captain Fantastic, and rightly so. Arsenal’s bitter rival Manchester United had Roy Keane, Arsenal had Patrick Vieira.

  • The never say die attitude, the unwillingness to give up, the determination to win was what this man was all about for the Gunners. Arsene Wenger insisted Arsenal bought him before he himself signed a deal, which they did for a fee that would be laughed at today, £3.5 million. He had it all for a central midfielder, the height, the physical strength and the stamina of a bull meant that life in England suited his style of play.

  • He formed a deadly partnership with compatriot Emmanuel Petit and the two were not midfielders to mess around with. Both, especially Vieira, had disciplinary problems at the start of their Arsenal career with their temper and willingness to win the game. He was sensationally sent off in two consecutive games, one the opener of the 2000-2001 season but when he came back he went twenty eight matches without receiving a booking.

  • A driving force in the middle of the park for Arsenal over the nine years he spent there, success for Arsenal during the late 90’s and from the millennium onwards was partly down to this man and his famous no.4 shirt.

5. Thierry Henry

  • No introduction needed for this man, to many football fans his name says it all about him. Critics say that he is the best foreign player to ever grace the Premiership, with his fast pace style of play, his speed, dribbling skill, abilities to shoot from almost anywhere, Henry was every manager’s dream striker. He is also known as a free kick specialist, scoring the most beautiful of free kicks, one of the most notable was the one against Juventus in the Champions League.

  • When he came from Juventus in 1999, his reputation was nothing compared to what it is today and at first had a difficult time adapting to the English style of play. After his first season, Henry proved to be the engine for the Arsenal team, scoring and assisting important goals.

  • During his time at Arsenal he became the club’s top scorer in almost every season. He is adored by Gooners but despised by opposing fans for terrorizing their defense with his pace and skill. He would get a lot of stick from opposing fans, in a game where he is heavily jeered by the opposition’s fans if he scored it would only natural for Henry to put his hand next to his ear as a way to taunt them back, or even blow kisses to the opposing fan.

  • He is deemed by many as arrogant or moody but he says it is just his willingness to play at his best and his wish to win games. He is the current record holder for Arsenal’s all time goal scorer having surpassed Ian Wright’s record. His total amount of goals for Arsenal stands at 226 in all competitions and 174 in the League. He is by far the most prolific player to have ever played for Arsenal Football Club.