Arsenal's 5 greatest footballers of all time

Arsenal FC is one of the most famous clubs in the world and is based in London. They also are in the list of the ten highest earning football clubs in the world. The club has won the Premier League title and the FA cup 13 times, However, they have not been able to win the European Cup/Champions League even once till date, though they finished runners-up in the 2005-06 season.

In their 133-year old history, the Gunners have had some great players playing for them and bring glory to the club. Here is a look at the top 5 Arsenal footballers of all time.

#5 David Seaman

David Seaman was the best English goalkeeper throughout the 1990s and remains the finest goalie Arsenal have ever had. He rose to prominence in the early 90s while playing for Arsenal after being signed by the Gunners in 1990. He also duly became the England national team's first choice goalkeeper after the retirement of Peter Shilton.

Seaman is more than six feet tall, and quite a physical specimen. He used his height and reach to reign supreme inside the penalty box and organized the defense extremely well too. The Leeds United academy graduate was also a potent shot-stopper and brilliant in the air. Seaman was not error-prone either and remained very dependable even during the twilight of his career.

Arsenal signed some other goalkeepers like John Lukic and Stuart Taylor in the 1990s but they always had to play second fiddle to Seaman. Seaman was an extremely important part of Arsenal’s rise under Arsene Wenger. He won the Premier League with Arsenal in 1998 and 2002. Seaman started showing signs of age in the early 2000s and was eventually replaced by Jens Lehmann in 2003. He played in 436 matches for Arsenal during his 13 year-long stint with them.

#4 Tony Adams

Tony Adams was someone who epitomized leadership and authority on the pitch. He was tall, strong, a great tackler, and one of the best aerially. He formed vaunted back four for Arsenal with Lee Dixon, Martin K, own and Nigel Winterburn. He also captained Arsenal for a considerable period of time and won four First Division/Premier League titles with them.

Adams was signed by Arsenal in 1983 and went on to spend almost two decades with them. He never played for any other club in his professional career. He was also one of the best center-backs in the world during his prime and scored 19 goals in 359 matches for the Gunners. He was the mainstay of Arsenal’s defense throughout the 90s and helped them win many matches and accolades.

Adams started facing difficulties in making it to the playing eleven in the early 2000s as Arsenal signed young center-backs like Kolo Toure and Sol Campbell. He eventually retired in 2002 and remains one of their most respected players in the game's history. Adams was part of the Premier League’s team of the century named in 2007.

#3 Patrick Vieira

Patrick Vieira was known as one of the most complete midfielders in the world in the late 90s and early 2000s. He is also widely regarded as one of the finest to have played for Arsenal. He had the capacity to play as a defensive midfielder as well as a box-to-box midfielder and contributed immensely towards Arsenal’s rise in English football.

Vieira was signed by Arsenal in 1996 and spent ten glorious seasons with them under the tutelage of compatriot Arsene Wenger. He was physically strong, fast and a very good reader of the game. He could tackle and close down spaces very well, and also play decent passes. Vieira lent solidity to Arsenal’s midfield and became a lynchpin for them.

Vieira played in 389 matches for Arsenal and scored 33 goals. He also won three Premier League titles with them. He left for Juventus in 2005 and now is the manager of French club OGC Nice.

#2 Dennis Bergkamp

Dennis Bergkamp was one of the most elegant and stylish footballers in the world and has legendary status at Arsenal football club. The Dutchman's first touch was exemplary, his dribbling skills were consummate and he had top-notch shooting accuracy. Bergkamp was a complete attacking midfielder and won many matches for Arsenal with his crucial goals and assists.

Bergkamp joined Arsenal in 1995 and was at the club till 2006. He formed a great partnership with Thierry Henry for Arsenal and tormented the defenses of many other English clubs. He also scored some brilliant goals from free-kick and consistently performed well in various European competitions.

He was a crucial part of three Premier League titles wins for Arsenal, and was also a member of the legendary “Invincibles” side; which won the league title in 2004 without losing a single match. Bergkamp scored 107 goals in 400 matches for Arsenal and was a favorite of the home crowd because of his exquisite playing style.

#1 Thierry Henry

Thiery Henry was Premier League’s most consistent player for almost a decade and remains the greatest player to have ever played for Arsenal. Henry was signed by Arsene Wenger in 1998 and became an all-conquering player for the Gunners during his decade-long stint with the club.

Henry was a brilliant dribbler and liked to cut in form the left-wing to the opposition penalty box. He could play both as the center-forward or the second striker. He also had a very good shot in him and could score all sort of goals. He won three Premier League titles with Arsenal and the Onze d’Or in 2003 and 2006. He produced some big moments for Arsenal in Europe including memorable away performances against Inter Milan, As Roma, and Real Madrid.

Henry was Arsenal’s most potent weapon during their great run during the late 1990s and early 2000s. He also won the runners-up medal with the Gunners in UEFA Champions League in the 2005-06 season. He made a brief comeback to the Emirates in 2012 but played in only 4 matches. The Frenchman scored 228 goals in 375 matches for the Gunners and was selected in Premier League’s team of the century in 2007.

Edited by Aayush Kataria