Arsenal Football Club is one of the most famous and successful English clubs in football history. Over the course of its 138-year history, the club has won 13 top-flight titles and a record 14 FA Cups, among a host of other honours. They are the third most successful English club in terms of honors won and one of the ‘Big Six’ of modern football. Premier Leaguealongside clubs from Manchester, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool.

As you would expect with a team of such quality, much of Arsenal’s history has included players of the highest caliber in order to maintain such standards. The Gunners have seen some truly exceptional talents emerge over the years, but that being said, who are the five players in history who can be considered the best to ever play for the north London side?

Ian Wright made his professional football debut just weeks before his 22nd birthday, which only adds to the multitude of impressive feats he has achieved during his career. After six years at Crystal Palace, his form was such that Arsenal came calling, with Wright signed for a then club record fee.

The striker, who made his England debut the same year he moved to north London, spent seven years with Arsenal, scoring 180 goals in just 281 games for the Gunners, ranking him second ranks of the club’s all-time goalscorers. . Wright won a cup double in the 1992/93 campaign, helping the team to win both the FA Cup and League Cup before winning the European Cup Winners’ Cup the following season.

Although he was injured in the 1997/98 season, his final year with the club, his contributions helped Arsenal win another FA Cup, although Wright did not play in the final, nor the Premier League. Ahead of the following campaign, the striker joined West Ham United for £500,000, having established himself as a cult hero at Arsenal.

Patrick Vieira joined AC Milan aged just 19, but made just five appearances in the one season he was there before joining Arsenal in 1996, the same year legendary manager Arsène Wenger was appointed , where he remained for almost a year. decade.

Vieira made a name for himself as an aggressive and tough midfielder with skill on the ball when his team was in possession. The Frenchman made over 400 appearances for Arsenal throughout his time in the English capital, eventually rising to captaincy in 2002 following the retirement of Tony Adams.

The midfielder won three Premier League titles with the Gunners and was part of their famous ‘Invincibles’ side that won the 2003/04 English top flight, undefeated. After nine years of service, Vieira joined Juventus in 2005, with Arsenal making a comfortable profit on one of their best midfielders of all time.

Dennis Bergkamp was 26 when he joined Arsenal, having established himself at Ajax and Inter Milan in the nine years before his move to London. The following year, Arsène Wenger was appointed coach and the Frenchman made Bergkamp one of the essential cogs in his offensive system.

Bergkamp formed a strong attacking partnership with Thierry Henry after the Frenchman’s arrival in 1999, but before and after that Bergkamp regularly demonstrated his abilities for his team, regardless of the players around him.

The Dutchman was as well known for his keen eye for goal as he was for his creative flair when the ball was at his feet, with Bergkamp racking up over 100 goals and over 100 assists during his time with the Gunners. Part of the Invincibles squad, Bergkamp also helped Arsenal win three Premier League titles and three FA Cups, while being part of the team that reached the 2006 Champions League final.

Thierry Henry spent five years at Monaco before joining Italian giants Juventus. However, after just six months, Henry left the Turin side for Arsenal, after struggling to find his place in the team. He then spent seven years with Arsenal and is still considered one of, if not the best, players to ever represent the team.

During his tenure at the club, including a brief loan spell in 2012, Henry racked up 326 goals in 377 games, including 228 goals. A phenomenal goalscorer, Henry’s combination of technical ability, frightening pace and physicality and mercurial dribbling skills made him a nightmare for opposing defenders.

Henry’s move to Barcelona in 2007 came as a surprise to many, who had hoped he would stay in north London. Despite this, it did nothing to dent a legacy that still shines today. 2007, however, did not mean Henry’s last appearance for Arsenal.

In 2012, during the MLS off-season, Henry joined Arsenal on a two-month loan, playing in four Premier League matches. In his final match for the club, against Sunderland in the Championship, Henry scored the winner in stoppage time, a fitting finale for such a legendary figure.

A player so synonymous with the club that he became nicknamed “Mr Arsenal”, Tony Adams joined the Gunners as a youth player in 1980, making his senior debut with the team three years later and not playing for any other national team during what would be a 19-year senior career.

A pragmatic defender, Adams racked up 669 appearances across three different decades for the Gunners, inheriting the captain’s armband aged just 21 and retaining it until his retirement. He would quickly become known for his leadership as well as his talent, which also saw the central defender score 48 goals for Arsenal.

Adams helped Arsenal win 10 major honors during his time at the club, including two First Division titles and two Premier League titles, one European Cup Winners’ Cup, two League Cups and three European Cups. England. To celebrate the club’s 125th anniversary, statues of Adams, Thierry Henry and Herbert Chapman (and later Dennis Bergkamp) were built outside the Emirates, a fitting tribute to the club’s true legends.