Top 5 Players Who Retired At Arsenal
Top players who retired at Arsenal? Who were the best players who retired at Arsenal? Which former Arsenal legends retired? Here, we will look at retired Arsenal football players and the top Arsenal players who retired at the football club. Watch & Bet Football Here =>
Retired Arsenal Football Players
A lot of great players have come and gone at Arsenal but there have only been a select few of these legends who finished their careers with the Gunners. Some players became so ingrained with the club that they could never leave while some returned late in their careers to offer whatever football they had left in them.
These are what we call the best of the retired bunch at Arsenal football club. These players chose to hang up their boots while still wearing the white and red. Let’s take a look at the top 5 players who retired at Arsenal.
Top Five Players Who Retired At Arsenal
Here, we will look at the Arsenal players who retired at the club. Some of the club’s biggest stars, even legends cannot be named in this list since they spent their last days as a footballer elsewhere. Greats like Thierry Henry, Ian Wright, David O’Leary, Pat Jennings, Martin Keown and Pat Rice have had their names etched in the top 50 players to have ever represented the club but they will miss out on being a part of this group.
5. Petr Cech
Petr Cech announced his plans to retire after the 2018/19 season back in January. He came in for £10m in 2015 and has spent 4 years with the Gunners.
Jose Mourinho was hesitant towards letting go of the Czech Republican but the goalkeeper himself wanted regular football. Arsene Wenger promised him that and Cech won the FA Cup in 2018.
It was only after the arrival of Bernd Leno that the veteran got shifted back to the number two spot, playing only in the cup competitions and in the Europa League. Now, at the age of 37, the legendary Premier League custodian is ready to end his playing days after a glorious 20-year career.
He has made 139 appearances for Arsenal and has managed 54 cleansheets. The cards seemed to have stacked up perfectly for him with his last game set in the Europa League final against his former club, Chelsea. However, the Gunners could not give him the fitting send-off that they would have liked, losing the game 4-1 at Baku.
Cech has been a thorough professional during the entirety of his stay at North London. He is one of the most dignified footballers who arguably could be one of the best goalkeepers to have ever played the sport.
4. Alan Smith
Alan Martin Smith spent 8 years with Arsenal (1987-1995) and scored 115 goals during that period. He was brought in from Leicester City due to his poacher like instincts inside the opposition box.
The striker was tall and slim, standing at 6 feet 3 inches and could tower over most of his opponents to win headers. He was also well rounded with a sublime first touch and had the ability to link up with his teammates on attack.
Smith won the First Division title twice with Arsenal and the FA Cup once. He scored a lot of important goals including the one in the UEFA Winner’s Cup in 1994 to help his team to the ultimate trophy. The Englishman was also awarded the Golden Boot on two occasions – 1989 and 1991. Watch & Bet Football Here =>
3. Jens Lehmann
Jens Lehmann is one of the best goalkeepers to have ever been fielded in between the posts for Arsenal. He came in from Borussia Dortmund in 2003 and ended up winning the Premier League in his debut season with an unbeaten record.
He then won the FA Cup next season and played a huge part in the club’s run to the UEFA Champions League final in 2006.
Unfortunately, the German picked up a red card in the crucial fixture which ended up playing a huge part in Arsenal’s defeat to Barcelona. Lehmann stayed with the Gunners for 5 years before heading back to his homeland in 2008. He signed for VfB Stuttgart for a year and after two seasons decided to hang up his boots.
It was not until an injury crisis at Arsenal that the shot-stopper decided to come back to the Emirates for a second stint. The goalkeeping position was sliced thin with injuries to Wojciech Szczęsny, Łukasz Fabiański and Vito Mannone. On 17 March 2011, Lehmann came out of retirement and signed a rolling contract until the end of the season.
He made just one appearance against Blackpool which marked his 200th for Arsenal. He also became the oldest player to have ever appeared for the club in the Premier League.
2. Dennis Bergkamp
The flamboyant Dutchman who mesmerized crowds with his silky touch and effortless skills is an Arsenal legend who ended his career at the Emirates. Dennis Bergkamp had collected 120 goals in 423 appearances for Arsenal, over the course of an 11-year period.
His £7.5m transfer from Inter Milan in 1995 smashed the club’s record which was set at £2.5m then. Bergkamp’s took a bit of time to adjust to the Premier League but once he did there was no looking back.
He became the other part of Arsenal’s unstoppable attacking duo next to Thierry Henry, that terrorized the English top flight for years. Bergkamp was an unused sub in the Champions League final in 2006 which was his last competitive game for the club. He retired after that season but did get the chance to make an appearance at the newly built Emirates stadium, playing against his old club. Watch & Bet Football Here =>
1. Tony Adams
Tony Adams, a.k.a., ‘Mr. Arsenal’ spent his entire career at North London with the Gunners. A record appearance maker for the club at 669 and also their most successful captain ever.
Adams won the First Division title twice and the Premier League twice with Arsenal. He also raised the FA Cup trophy 3 times, the League Cup 2 times and the European Winners Cup in 1994.
The defender stayed with Arsenal for 19 years and represented England in 66 games. He an outstanding player during his time and also one of the best in his position. Just before his retirement in 2002, Adams had applied for the managerial position at Brentford but was rejected.
He played a testimonial game against Celtic in May of that year alongside other Arsenal legends like Ian Wright, John Lukic, Nigel Winterburn, Lee Burn and Steve Bould.
See Also:
- Top 5 Players Arsenal Should Sign This Summer
- Arsenal Team Under-23s 2022
- Best Arsenal Strikers Of All Time (Attackers & Forwards)
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