Arsenal Greatest All-Time Team

The "Invincibles" winning the Premiership in 2004

Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.

Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal,
Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester City, Everton, Ipswich
Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, 
Leeds United, Leicester City, West Ham
Arsenal All-Time Team Under Arsene Wenger
Arsenal All-Time Team for Foreign Players
Arsenal All-Time Team from the British Isles(Excluding England)
Arsenal All-Time Team for English Players

This is my selection of a 25 member all-time team for the club.  The number 25 was chosen because it is the official squad size for the Champions' League.

Arsenal was the first club from the South of England to join The Football League, in 1893. They entered the First Division in 1904, and have since accumulated the second most points. Relegated only once, in 1913, they continue the longest streak in the top division. In the 1930s, Arsenal won five League Championships and two FA Cups, and another FA Cup and two Championships after the war. In 1970–71, they won their first League and FA Cup Double. Between 1989 and 2005, they won five League titles and five FA Cups, including two more Doubles. They completed the 20th century with the highest average league position.

Cup Winners' Cup 1994

Team
GK: Pat Jennings (N.Ireland)
Pat Jennings is considered among the greatest goalkeeper of all-time.  The prime of his career was spent with both Tottenham Hotspurs and Arsenal.  In 1973 the Football Writers' Association named him as its footballer of the year. Three years later he won PFA's version of the award – he was the first goalkeeper to receive this accolade, and to this date remains only one of two, along with Peter Shilton. He earned 119 caps for Northern Ireland and went to two WC Finals. 

Pat Jennings

GK: David Seaman (England)

The peak of Seaman's career was during his period as Arsenal and England goalkeeper in the 1990s and early 2000s. At Arsenal, he won three league championships (1991, 1998, 2002), four FA Cups (1993, 1998, 2002, 2003), the League Cup in 1993 and the European Cup Winners Cup in 1994.  He also played in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups, and Euro 96 and Euro 2000, and is England's second-most capped goalkeeper with 75 caps.

GK: Bob Wilson (Scotland)
As a player, Bob Wilson played as an amateur for Wolverhampton Wolves before he was signed by Arsenal in 1963.  He is most noted for his career at Arsenal between 1963 and 1974. He made over 300 appearances for Arsenal.  He retired at the age of 32 in 1974. Born in England to Scottish parents, he was capped by Scotland twice in 1971.  One of the matches was against Portugal.

RB: Pat Rice (Northern Ireland)
Pat Rice played for Arsenal between 1967 and 1980.  He was known for being a member of the team that won the League/FA Cup Double in 1970-1971 season.  He was one of the few Arsenal players who had played for five FA Cup Finals, winning the cup twice. He played for Watford between 1980 and 1984, where he helped them to reach top flight. He was capped 49 times for Northern Ireland between 1968 and 1979.

RB: Lee Dixon (England)
Lee Dixon played as a right-back for Arsenal, Burnley, Bury, Chester City and Stoke City.  He was a part of Arsenal's famous back four along with Tony Adams, Steve Bould and Nigel Winterburn under George Graham. Dixon is also one of the only players in English football history to have won a league title in three different decades with the same club.  Between 1990 and 1999, he played 22 times for England.

CB: Tony Adams (England)
Tony Adams is a club legend and one club man with Arsenal who became the club captain at the age of 21.  A stature of him is erected at the Emirates Stadium. He formed the legendary backline with Lee Dixon, Nigel Winterburn and Steve Bould with club.  He was a fixture for England from 1987 to 2000.  For England, he had 66 caps and served as its captain at one point. He played in the World Cup Finals in 1998 and went to three European Championship.

Tony Adams and Sol Campbel 2002 FA Cup

CB: Sol Campbell (England)
Sol Campbell was one of the greatest English defenders. He was a member of Arsenal's "Invincibles" that went undefeated in 2003-2004 season.  At the club level, he spent 9 seasons for Tottenham Hotspurs and served as its captain before moving to its rival Arsenal on a free transfer that sparked a controversy.  He later played for Portsmouth. For England, he earned 73 caps in 11 years.  He went to three World Cup Finals: 1998, 2002 and 2006.

CB: David O'Leary (Ireland)
David O'Leary made a record of 722 appearance for Arsenal between 1975 and 1993.  For Arsenal, he won the English League, FA Cup and the League Cup, two of each.  He was named on the PFA First Division Team of the Year: 1978–79, 1979–80, 1981–82. He also played briefly with Leeds United at the end of his career. With 68 caps between 1976 and 1993, he represented Ireland at the World Cup Finals in 1990, scoring the winning penalty against Romania in the penalty shootout.

DM/CB: Frank McLintock  (Scotland)
McLintock  earned a professional contract with English First Division club Leicester City in 1956. He played in two League Cup final defeats before he was sold to Arsenal in 1964.  Appointed as captain he led the club to their first European trophy, the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1970. The following season, 1970–71, he captained Arsenal to the Double, as they won the league and the FA Cup. He earned only 9 caps, largely because of playing at the same time with  Dave Mackay, John Greig, Bobby Murdoch and Billy Bremner.

Frank McLintock

LB: Eddie Hapgood (England)
Eddie Hapgood captained both Arsenal and England during the 1930s. He was one of first star players in England.  His image was used for advertisement which was a pioneer at his time. He started his Arsenal career in 1927 and ended in 1944.  Internationally, he had 30 caps with 21 times as its captain between 1933 and 1939.  He captained England during the famous "the Battle of Highbury" against World Cup winner Italy in 1934.

LB: Ashley Cole (England)
Ashley Cole was considered one of the finest leftbacks of his generation.  He was voted the England Player of the Year in 2010. He played in 3 World Cup Finals.  He played 107 caps between 2001 and 2014.  He is also England's most-capped full-back in history.  He played with Arsenal, but moved to its rival Chelsea in 2006.  In 2014, he moved to AS Roma.  He won the Champions' League in 2012 with Chelsea.  He is playing in the MLS since 2016.

CM: Brian Talbot (England)
Talbot began his career with Ipswich Town in 1971.  He made 227 appearances for Ipswich, and won the 1977–78 FA Cup. In 2013, Talbot was inducted into the Ipswich Town F.C. Hall of Fame. In 1979, Talbot moved to Arsenal, winning that year's FA Cup. He was the first player for more than 100 years to win the FA Cup with two different teams in consecutive seasons. From 1977 to 1980, he was capped 6 times.

AM/CM: David Rocastle (England)
David Roscastle's best club career was spent with Arsenal where he won two league titles.  He was sold to Leeds United for a club record in 1992, but he never settled with the club due to injuries and other reasons. He was capped 14 times for England. England never lost a single match in any of the games he played. Despite for being a good footballer, surpisingly, he was left out of all major tournaments during his international career. He died at the age of 33 from a form of cancer.

David Rocastle

CM: Ray Parlour (England)
Ray Parlour spent his career playing for Arsenal, Middlesbrough and Hull City. He was a legend with Arsenal between 1992 and 2004. During his Arsenal career, he was nicknamed "The Romford Pelé"; although the nickname was given with an ironic sense of humour, on account of his solid performance but unglamorous image. He has been described as an "unsung hero".  He was capped 10 times between 1999 and 2000.

CM: Patrick Vieira (France)
Patrick Vieira was an all-time great with Arsenal.  He won three Premier League titles and four FA Cups.  In England. he was famous for his rivalry with Roy Keane.  He spent a season at Juventus, helping the team to the Serie A championship. Following Juventus' relegation for their part in a match-fixing scandal, Vieira played for Inter Milan and then, Manchester City for two seasons. With "Les Bleus", he won the WC in 1998 and European Championship in 2000.  He earned 107 caps.

Patrick Vieira vs Keane

RW/LW:  Robert Pires (France)
Robert Pires played for Metz, Marseilles, Villarreal and Aston Villa, but was better remembered as a part of the "French Connection" at Arsenal.  With Arsenal, he won three FA Cups and two Premier League titles including the club's unbeaten season of 2003–04.  He played there from 2000 to 2006.  For France, he was a part of the generation that won the World Cup in 1998 and European Championship in 2000.  He was capped 79 times for France.

RW/LW: Fredrik Ljungberg (Sweden)
Fredrik Ljungberg began his career at Halmstads BK and went on to spend most of his career at Arsenal, where he won honours including two Premier League titles and three FA Cups, scoring in two finals including the victory in 2002.  He also had short spells at a number of clubs in England, Scotland, the United States and Japan. Ljungberg earned 75 caps and was captain of the Swedish national team until he announced his international retirement after UEFA Euro 2008.

LW: Cliff Bastin (England)
Cliff Bastin was one of the best player on the Arsenal team that dominated football in the 1930's.  He played for them between 1929 and 1947. Arsenal won 5 league titles in the decade. He was the Arsenal all-time leading scorer from 1939 to 1997. He also played for Exeter City, where he started his career in 1928. He played 21 times for England between 1931 and 1938. In 2009, he was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame.

AM: Alex James (Scotland)
Alex James was one of the greatest player ever for Arsenal.  He is most noted as the play making lynch pin with Arsenal with whom he won six senior trophies in the first seven seasons of the 1930s. he also played for Preston Northend. For Scotland, he was known with his partnership with Hughie Gallacher. He was a member of "Wembley Wizards" that England 5-1 in 1928. However, he was only capped 8 times between 1925 and 1933.

Alex James

LW/AM: Liam Brady (Ireland)

Liam Brady played over 200 times for Arsenal in the 1980's.  He was the PWA Player of the Year in 1979.  He was one of the few successful Irish players playing outside the UK.  In 1980, he moved to Juventus, where he won two Series A titles in two seasons.  He was replaced by Michel Platini, but he went on to play for Inter Milan and Ascoli in Italy. He made 72 caps for Republic of Ireland between 1974 and 1990, but he never went to a major tournament.

FW:  Theirry Henry (France)

Thierry Henry is the all-time leading scorer for both Arsenal and France.  He was named the PFA Players' Player of the Year twice, and the FWA Footballer of the Year three times. He started with AS Monaco in 1994. The, he spent 8 seasons with Arsenal, where he enjoyed the peak of his career. He also played for Juventus, Barcelona and NY Red Bulls. He earned 123 caps and was a part of France's Golden Team form 1998 to 2002.  He won the World Cup in 1998 and Euro 2000.

FW: Dennis Bergkamp (Netherlands)
Dennis Bergkamp was the best-known Dutch player of the mid-1990's.  He had 92 caps. He helped Netherlands to reach the semi-final of the 1998 WC Finals in France.  His goal vs Argentina at was considered among the best ever scored in World Cup history.  He also played in the World Cup Finals of 1994 and three European Championship. He started with Ajax and played for Inter Milan.  He also had a very successful career with Arsenal, winning 7 major titles.

Dennis Bergkamp

FW/ST: Charlie George (England)
Charlie George began his career with Arsenal in 1968.  He was the hero of the 1971 FA Cup Final.  He scored 111th minute winner against Liverpool.  That season, Arsenal also won the league, making it a "League/FA Cup Double".  The goal gave Arsenal their first ever Double in history. He later played with Derby County between 1975 and 1978.  After Derby, his career took me to clubs in Australia, the USA, Hong Kong and Scotland.  He also played for Southampton.

ST: Alan Smith (England)

Alan Smith spent five seasons at Leicester, scoring 84 goals in 217 appearances before transferring to Arsenal in 1987.  He was Arsenal's top scorer for four consecutive seasons, and the top scorer in the First Division in the 1988–89 season with 23 goals.  In 1989, he scored the first goal in the historical league title clinching game against Liverpool.  In 1994, he scored the only and the winning goal at the Cup Winners' Cup Final.

ST: Ian Wright (England)
Ian Wright was a legendary striker with Arsenal.  Before joining Arsenal, he was a hero with Crystal Palace.  At the time of writing, he was their highest goal scorer since the War.  In 1991, he joined Arsenal.  He spent 7 seasons with them, winning all three domestic trophies and the Cup Winners' Cup in 1994.  Despite being a top scorer in the domestic league(he scored over 20 goals every season from 1991 to 1998), he only played 33 times for England and was never selected for any of the major tournaments.

Ian Wright

Honorable Mention

Jens Lehmann (Germany), Jack Kelsey (Wales), Frank Moss (England), Steve Bound (England), Bill Seddon (England), Leslie Compton (England), Ray Daniel (Wales), George Male (England), Herbie Roberts (England), Alf Baker (England), Per Mertesacker (Germany), Kolo Toure (Ivory Coast), Thomas Vermaelen (Belgium),  Laurent Koscielny (France), Bacary Sagna (France), Lauren (Cameroon), Tom Parker (England), Laurie Scott (England), Bob McNab (England), Nigel Winterburn (England), Martin Keown (England), Steve Bould (England), Peter Storey (England), Kenny Sansom (England), Sammy Nelson (N.Ireland), Gilbert Silva (Brazil), Paul Merson (England), George Graham (Scotland),  Cesc Fabgregas (Spain), Alan Ball (England), David Jack (England), Joe Baker (Scotland), Ted Drake (England), Robin van Persie (Netherlands), George Armstrong (England), Michael Thomas (England), Marc Overmars (Netherlands),  Peter Simpson (England), Alexis Sanchez (Chile), Nwankwo Kanu , Steve Williams (England), George Eastham (England), Malcolm Macdonald (England), Danny Clapton (England), Joe Hulme (England), John Radford (England), Charlie Nicholas (Scotland).

Squad Explanation

-- I did a massive review of this team in August, 2024.

-- Pat Jennings, Tony Adams, Alex James, Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira are automatic selections.  I do not need to explain my reasons for my selections. Cliff Basten and David Season probably can enjoy the same status.

-- A large number of players are from the Premiership era and many played for Arsene Wenger.  In fact, I created a blog team for that. Please see this Arsenal All-Time Team Under Arsene Wenger.

-- Arsenal went undefeated in the Premiership in the 2003-2004 season.  The team was known as "Invincibles". Dennis Bergkamp, Sol Campbell, Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Ray Parlour, Robert Pires and Freddie Ljungberg made my All-Time Team. 

-- Arsenal won the League/FA Cup Double in 1971. Pat Rice, Charlie George, Bob Wilson and Frank McLintock made this all-time team.  I took John Radford off the team in 2024.

1970-1971 League/FA Cup Double winning team

-- Arsenal compiled an official ranking of their 50 Greatest Ever Players. Leading the top 10 were 1) Thierry Henry, 2) Denis Bergkamp, 3) Tony Adams, 4) Ian Wright, 5) Patrick Vieira, 6) Robert Pires, 7) David Seaman, 8) Liam Brady, 9) Charlie George, and 10) Pat Jennings. Meanwhile, in 2022, FourFourTwo also curated a list of Arsenal's 50 greatest players, featuring 1) Thierry Henry, 2) Denis Bergkamp, 3) Tony Adams, 4) Patrick Vieira, 5) Ian Wright, 6) Robert Pires, 7) Liam Brady, 8) David Seaman, 9) Charlie George, and 10) Cliff Bastin. I used both lists for reference.   However, in 2016, the magazine also ranked the 11 greatest players for Arsenal.  The list was different: 1) David Seaman, 2) Tony Adams, 3) Liam Brady, 4) Patrick Vieria, 5) Alan Smith, 6) Thierry Henry, 7) Denis Bergkamp, 8) Alex James, 9) Frank McLintock, 10) Ashley Cole and 11) Cliff Bastin.  This list was not in a formation since only two defenders were selected.

Theirry Henry

Goalkeepers

--  Pat Jennings and David Seaman are regarded as two of the finest goalkeepers in Arsenal's history. On the official list of Arsenal's 50 greatest players, Seaman holds the 7th spot while Jennings is placed 10th. Bob Wilson, another notable goalkeeper, is the only other keeper on the list, ranking 39th. Wilson's standout year was in 1971 when he was named Arsenal's Player of the Year during their Double-winning season. 

-- Pat Jennings' association with Tottenham Hotspurs did not affect his legendary status here.  He was one of the greatest ever goalkeepers from the United Kingdom.

-- Many people listed Jens Lehmann of "Invincibles" in the 2003-2004 season as one of the top three goalkeepers ever donned Arsenal jersey.

 Jack Kelsey who was Arsenal's number one for 8 seasons also deserved a spot.  Frank Moss emerged as another notable figure during my research. In 1935, Moss unexpectedly found himself playing as a left winger, scoring the opening goal in a memorable 2-0 victory against Everton.

Defenders

-- The central defender positions were difficult to choose.  In my opinion, Tony Adams and Sol Campbell were a lock on the team.  Adams was a one club man who spent two decades with the club.  He ranked 3rd as Arsenal's 50 Greatest Ever players.  By contrast, Campbell only spent 5 seasons here, but he was one of the most important players for the "Invincibles".  Frank McLintock was a close third best back.  He was the FWA Player of the year in 1971 as Arsenal won the Double. 

-- Then, I selected David O'Leary over Steve Bould and Martin Keown. O'Leary is the appearance record holder forn Arsenal.  He actually even ranked ahead of McLintock on Arsenal's 50 official greatest ever players list as well as the ranking by FourFourTwo.

-- During George Graham's tenure at Arsenal, the defensive lineup of Steve Bould, Tony Adams, Nigel Winterburn, and Lee Dixon stood out as one of the most formidable units in English football history. In the 1990/91 season, Arsenal conceded a mere 18 goals in the league and suffered only one defeat, which occurred away at Chelsea.  However, Bould, Winterburn and Dixon was notoriously ignored by the English national team during this period while they were the best defenders in England at their time.  I also could not find space for Winterburn and Bould.  I only selected Adams and Dixon.  Matt Keown and David O'Leary also played with this group of players.  Graham sent Keown away in 1986, but he returned in 1993 and became an important defender for Graham and later, Wenger.  O'Leary was an older player who was a mainly backup central defender during this time.

-- Bill Seddon, Leslie Compton, Ray Daniel, George Male, Herbie Roberts, and Alf Baker were all notable central defenders in Arsenal's early history.  Kolo Toure, Per Mertesacker, Thomas Vermaelen and Laurent Koscielny were some of the more famous central defenders in recent years.  William Saliba is still a long way to go to be considered.

-- Pat Rice is ranked the 17th and Lee Dixon the 21st as the greatest ever Arsenal player by their official website. I put Bacary Sagna, Lauren and Tom Parker on honorable mentions.  I am not sure if Laurie Scott played on the right.  He was only listed as a fullback, but I do believe that he played on the right.

-- While Eddie Hapgood and Ashley Cole were expected to hold undisputed positions at left-back, Cole's controversial move to rival Chelsea altered the course.  So, I did study Bob McNab, Sammy Nelson, Kenny Sansom and Nigel Winterburn, but I decided to keep Cole who was probably Arsenal's most iconic fullback.

Eddie Hapgood 

Midfielders/Wingers

-- Patrick Vieira requires no introduction.  Arriving at Arsenal in the same year as Wenger, Patrick Vieira and the manager collaborated to elevate Arsenal into one of the most formidable clubs in Europe. He was one of Arsenal's greatest ever players. I opted for Ray Parlour over Emmanuel Petit, Gilbert Silva and Alan Ball due to Parlour's longer tenure at the club. As a home-grown talent, he had the distinction of playing under both George Graham and Arsène Wenger at Arsenal.  Alan Ball played his prime here, but the two midfielders selected meant more for the club. Ball also played in a period when Arsenal was struggling.   Arsenal did not give Gilberto Silva a spot on their official ranking of 50 Greatest Footballer, a decision I find surprising considering I rate him higher than Emmanuel Petit. Although Petit made significant contributions to the club, notably as Patrick Vieira's midfield partner, his tenure at Arsenal spanned only three seasons. 

--During the review in 2024, noticing an abundance of forwards in the team while recognizing the necessity for an additional midfielder with a more aggressive playing style., I made the decision to drop one forward and reinforce our midfield. The choice fell on Brian Talbot, revered as the 25th greatest player in Arsenal's history. Talbot epitomizes a player exuding true grit, a combative spirit, and sheer power, making him a formidable force on the pitch. The addition of him would undoubtedly change the outlook of the team.

-- Liam Brady was the PFA Players’ Player of the Year in 1979. Dennis Bergkamp could also play as an attack midfielder.  They were two of the undisputed players on this team. 

Liam Brady

-- Cesc Fabregas and Paul Merson missed the boat because of David Rocastle, Alex James, Dennis Bergkamp and Liam Brady.  The trio was among the greatest ever for the club.  Arsenal only ranked Alex James 46th as their greatest player by their official fan poll while FourFourTwo put him at 30th in 2022 (but the 2016 list placed him at 11th).  I hold a differing view, advocating for James to be accorded a higher position. Rocastle was a beloved figure at Highbury, his untimely passing leaving a lingering sense of nostalgia among the fans. As the hero of the 1989 league-winning campaign, his legacy remained etched in the hearts of supporters long after he had left. I am not sure about David Jack's position, but he seemed to be a forward/attack midfielder.  

-- Arsenal had some great wingers.  Cliff Bastian is a lock on one of the winger spots.  He held Arsenal's scoring record for many decades until Ian Wright broke it in 1997.  I have to choose two out of this group: Robert Pires, George Armstrong, Fredrick Ljungberg and Marc Overmars. Armstrong had participated in more than 500 matches for Arsenal and held the appearance record at one point. He predominantly featured on the left side but was equally adept at operating on the right. But in the end, I took Pires and Ljungberg. They were often listed among the top 20 ever players for Arsenal. In the 2001-2002 season, Pires was voted both FWA Footballer of the Year and Arsenal's player of the season, as Arsenal won the league and FA Cup title.  Ljungberg was ranked the 11th greatest players in Arsenal by the club while FourFourTwo put him at 12th. Marco Overmars played around the same time as Pires and Ljungberg, and he left after 3 seasons.  His legacy here was overshadowed by the pair.  Bukayo Saka still needed time to develop his career here.

Cliff Bastin

Forwards

-- Ian Wright did not receive much chance with England, but he is probably Arsenal's greatest English player. I do not need to explain too much of his achievements here.

-- Robin Van Persie had many strikers ahead of him.  Besides, his deflection to Manchester United put him down the order.  I do consider loyalty as a part of the criteria, but I used different standard for different players and teams.   For example, Luis Figo could not get into my Barcelona All-Time team, but I accepted other players if I saw a need for the position.  Van Persie is listed on the Honorable Mention. Charlie George got ahead of him, largely based upon nostalgia.  Charlie George scored an important goal that gave Arsenal their first ever Double.  He is forever in an important part of the club's history.  He is often listed as Arsenal's most important player. Their official website ranked him as number 9 in their greatest players.

-- During my 2024 team review, I noticed a lack of a tough, no-nonsense midfielder. Additionally, there seems to be an excess of forwards. Given the undisputed abilities of Thierry Henry, Ian Wright, Dennis Bergkamp, and Charlie George, along with Cliff Bastin's scoring prowess, I decided to drop either Alan Smith or John Radford for a midfielder. This team already boasts enough goal-scoring talent.

Charlie George

-- Alan Smith scored two of the most crucial goals in Arsenal's history. The first was in Arsenal's 2-0 triumph at Anfield on May 26, 1989, securing that season's league championship. The second was the decisive goal in Arsenal's victory over Parma in the 1994 European Cup Winners' Cup final. Meanwhile, John Radford helped Arsenal to win the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in the1969-1070 season, securing their first silverware in 17 years. The following season, Radford played a pivotal role in leading them to the prestigious Double of league and FA Cup, scoring 21 goals and cementing his legacy as one of Arsenal's finest forwards.  At the time of writing, he remained the 4th best goal scorer in the club's history.  However, all three lists placed Alan Smith ahead of him.  So, I picked Smith over him.

-- Michael Thomas scored the winning goal in 1989 that helped the club to win the league title. He is listed on the Honorable Mention.

-- Alexis Sanchez is one of the most underrated players of his generation.  At the time of writing, he played three seasons here but won two FA Cups. He is now on the Honorable Mention.  Previously, I considered re-examining his case after his retirement from playing. After his departure to Manchester United, he would not have any more chance to build his career at Arsenal.

Formation