Best Arsenal XI Of All Time!
Bildbyran

Best Arsenal XI Of All Time!

Best Arsenal XI Of All Time! Arsenal all-time XI? Do you know the Best Arsenal XI Of All Time? Best Arsenal XI of all time? What do you think is the best Arsenal XI of all time? Here we look through the archives and select the best Arsenal XI of all time.

Arsenal have a rich history in English football with a trophy cabinet stacked with silverware. They are also among the top ten richest football clubs in the world with a fan base spreading to every corner of this planet.

The club was formed by David Danskin and 15 of his munition workers in October 1886. After transforming from an amateur club to a fully professional one in the English first division, Arsenal appointed Herbert Chapman and won their first national trophy – the FA Cup in 1930.

Ever since then they led a prosperous period especially in the late 20th century through the managerial reigns of George Graham and Arsene Wenger. The Gunners were fortunate enough to have some of the world’s best players feature for the side over the years. Some we have witnessed recently and some were much older, even before our time. With a rich history of Arsenal teams, both good and bad, we have chosen the best Arsenal XI – dare say, our dream Arsenal XI?

Best Arsenal XI Of All Time

We are going to pick the best 11 players who have represented this club based on their contributions and also the footballing talent they possessed. Of course, an analysis will be done on the trophies they have won for the club and the individual accolades they have collected on the way.

That would mean combing through articles and videos of all the historic Arsenal players who are etched in the memory of the club’s fans.

Best Arsenal XI Of All Time– Formation: 4-4-1-1

We will start with the defence first!

Defence: Best Arsenal XI Of All Time

GK: David Seaman

He is the first member of our Best Arsenal XI Of All Time.

Coming in for a fee of £1.3m which was a record amount for an English goalkeeper at the time, was the best money spent by George Graham or any Arsenal manager. Seaman is regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the English top flight.

Seaman’s sustained excellence won over the fans in no time and he became the cornerstone of an Arsenal back five which kept 23 clean sheets and conceded just 18 goals en route to the 1990/91 League title. His qualities were quite  – he had sharp reflexes, excellent positional sense, great judgement from crosses and bags of courage.

The title evaded Arsenal for the next seven years but Seaman remained to the fore as Graham’s side became Cup kings at home and in Europe. By now Wright was the major weapon in attack and the well-worn chant of ‘One-Nil to the Arsenal’ was born as the livewire striker nicked a goal while Seaman – plus the famous Back Four – took care of the clean sheet.

LB: Nigel Winterburn

Before Ashley Cole, the one who was causing havoc from the left flank was Nigel Winterburn. The Englishman played through the late 1980s and all through the ’90s.

Winterburn was skilled both defensively and going forward during his overlapping runs. He netted the ball 12 times during his 584 appearances for Arsenal.

Although the man only won 2 caps for the England national time, he was greatly admired for his talents by the Gunners fans. Winterburn won the league title three times, the FA Cup twice, a League Cup and a European Cup Winners’ Cup with Arsenal.

Only he can left back at Best Arsenal XI Of All Time!

CB: Tony Adams

Mr Arsenal, the man and the legend himself is regarded as the best defender and the best captain to have ever played for the club.

Not only were his days with the Gunners filled with trophies, but he was also highly impressionable as a footballer. Tony Adams has been an inspirational figure for a lot of people who are trying to overcome any sort of addiction.

The Englishman appeared in 669 matches over nearly a 20-year stretch, spending his entire career with the North London club.

He captained one of the greatest eras of Arsenal football, collecting four league titles, three FA Cups, two League Cups and a European Cup Winners’ Cup.

The true captain of Best Arsenal XI Of All Time

CB: Frank McLintock

Frank McLintock’s was signed from Leicester City for £80,000 in October 1964. He ended up making 314 league appearances for Arsenal.

The Scotsman primarily started out as a wingback with the intention of always surging ahead to attack. However, in the 1969/70 season when the Gunners were diseased with multiple injuries to key personnel, McLintock was called up to appear in the centre-half spot, much to his displeasure at first.

He then led the team to the 1970 European Fairs Cup title over Anderlecht. McLintock took over the captain’s armband to win the League Championship and FA Cup double the next season.

He scored a crucial goal in the cup final against Liverpool to draw level and eventually go on to win the match.

RB: Lee Dixon

Lee Dixon is fourth in Arsenal’s all-time list of appearance makers. He offered a lot from the right-back position from 1988 to 2000.

His used to deliver top drawer crosses into the opposition box while also remaining vigilant at the back. The former Stoke City and Burnley player was not just a traditional fullback with a half decent touch.

Dixon could dribble, pass really well and also scored important goals, racking up 28 during his time with Arsenal. He is also one of the most successful Gunner to have ever played for the side.

One of the legends and a worthy member of the Best Arsenal XI Of All Time!

Midfield : Best Arsenal XI Of All Time

LM: Robert Pires

If you want to see what humiliating fullbacks with pure speed looks like, you should reel back some of the Frenchman’s highlight clips.

Pires was hailed as the best Premier League winger during his time. He was known for his ability to cut in from the left flank while also delivering scrumptious balls with both his left and right feet.

The man also had a crafty bone to take advantage of keepers when in front of goal. He formed an important part of the final three next to Thierry Henry and Freddie Ljungberg during their most decorated years as an Arsenal player.

CM: Patrick Vieira

Hailed by many Arsenal fans as the best to have ever graced the midfield role, Patrick Vieira was a package deal who led the club through their incredible 2003/04 season.

The Frenchman did everything from midfield — winning back possession, creating plays, scoring important goals and he was the captain of a very talented Gunners roster.

His impact was so high that when he left for Juventus, Arsenal immediately saw a downfall in their performances and the club has not won a league title since.

The man revolutionised the defensive midfield role with his dominance on the pitch.

Another player worthy of being the captain of the Best Arsenal XI Of All Time!

CM: David Rocastle

David Carlyle Rocastle, a.k.a, “Rocky” spent 8 years with Arsenal before moving on to Leeds United in 1993.

Arsene Wenger arrived in 1997 and along with many other pundits, lauded the midfielder as way ahead of his time. Rocastle started a revolution with his technical ability and “exceptional dimensions as a football player”.

The man had such an impact on the club that his the indoor academy got named after him. His name can also be seen printed in big fonts at the Emirates Stadium.

Rocastle earned 14 caps for England, scored 38 goals in 224 games for Arsenal and collected 2 league titles and a League Cup medal.

RM: Liam Brady

Back in the day, Liam Brady was the very definition of a complete midfield player. He had every tool under his belt – speed, agility, power, technical skills and footballing intelligence.

The Irish midfielder joined Arsenal in 1971 as a 15-year-old and later surpassed 235 league appearances over 7 seasons. He grabbed the Player Of The Year award three times during his time with Arsenal, along with 1979 FA Cup.

Attack: Best Arsenal XI Of All Time

SS: Dennis Bergkamp

Dennis Bergkamp came into Arsenal in 1995 for £7.5m, breaking the club’s transfer record by £5m. He was regarded as a massive flop early on in his Gunners career but soon his destiny changed under the regime of Arsene Wenger.

The Dutchman was in his prime and quickly established himself as an immaculate shadow striker next to the enigmatic Thierry Henry. He was the club’s top scorer with 22 goals in the 1997/98 campaign, leading the side to a domestic double.

His talents were applicable on almost every position in the final third but he became the most influential from the number ten attacking-midfield role. Bergkamp collected four FA Cup trophies and three Premier League titles during his 11 years with the Gunners.

The man racked up 120 goals in a span of 420 appearances for the club before hanging up his boots in 2006.

If there is one thing to notice about Bergkamp’s game when you roll back the highlight clips, it would be his remarkable first touch. The 79-cap former Dutch international glided across the pitch with elegance and grace comparable to a ballerina.

Other than his technical gifts, the former Ajax player was also creative and had outstanding vision. He or Adams should be named captain of the best Arsenal XI of all time.

CF: Thierry Henry

Thierry Henry is Arsenal’s top goal scorer of all time with 228 career goals for the club. Standing at 6 feet 2 inches tall, the Frenchman is a legendary figure in world football and is idolized by many players and fans.

Arsene Wenger signed him in 1999 from Serie A outfit, Juventus. Henry was associated with the Gunners for 8 years before leaving for Barcelona in 2007.

During his time at Arsenal, Henry established himself as one of the best strikers in the history of the Premier League.

Towards the end of his playing career during his time with the New York Red Bulls, the attacker signed with Arsenal on a two-month loan spell in 2012 during the MLS off-season.

He ended up making 4 League appearances on his return and also scored the winning goal in his last game, the 2-1 victory over Sunderland.

Possibly the best striker in the Best Arsenal XI Of All Time!

Substitutes:

Of course, to pay homage to some of the club’s other influential players, I am going to name a few of them who could have easily made it into the top XI.

Ian Wright; John Radford; Paul Merson; Cesc Fabregas; George Armstrong; Ashley Cole; Pat Jennings

Greatest Arsenal XI Ever

Let’s take a look at the best Arsenal XI of all time and how they will line up on the field.

Best Arsenal XI Of All Time

See Also:

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

1 COMMENT

Comments are closed.