Ian Wright is Arsenal's second-highest all-time goalscorer.
Arsenal Football Club, an association football club based in Islington, London, was founded in 1886 as Royal Arsenal. They became the first southern member[nb 1] admitted into the Football League in 1893, having spent their first four seasons solely participating in cup tournaments and friendlies.[3] The club's name, which shortly changed to Woolwich Arsenal, was shortened to Arsenal in 1914, a year after moving to Highbury.[4] Despite finishing fifth in the Second Division in 1914–15, Arsenal rejoined the First Division at the expense of local rivals Tottenham Hotspur when football resumed after the First World War.[5] Since that time, they have not fallen below the first tier of the English football league system and hold the record for the longest uninterrupted period in the top flight.[6] The club's first team has competed in numerous nationally and internationally organised competitions, and all players who have played in 100 or more such matches are listed below.
David O'Leary holds the record for the greatest number of appearances for Arsenal. Between 1975 and 1993 the Irish defender played 722 times for the club.[7] As of 2009, seven other players have made more than 500 appearances for Arsenal, including four of the so-called "famous five" defenders of the 1990s,[8]Tony Adams, Lee Dixon, David Seaman and Nigel Winterburn. The club's goalscoring record is held by Thierry Henry, who scored 228 goals in all competitions between 1999 and 2007 and during a loan spell with the club in 2012.[9] He surpassed the previous record of 185 goals, held by Ian Wright, in 2005,[10] and became the first player to score 200 goals for Arsenal the following year.[11]
In 2013, Arsenal launched the "100 Club" to formally recognise retired players with over 100 league appearances. As of September 2016, 75 living players have been inducted with a further 26 automatically enrolled once they end their careers.[12]
Key
The list is ordered first by date of debut, and then if necessary in alphabetical order.
Appearances as a substitute are included. This feature of the game was introduced in the Football League at the start of the 1965–66 season.[13]
Statistics are correct up to and including the match played on 2 February 2021. Where a player left the club permanently after this date, his statistics are updated to his date of leaving.
Unless otherwise noted, the nationality of a player is determined by the country/countries which he has played for, or if said person has not played international football, their country of birth.
Position
Playing positions are listed according to the tactical formations that were employed at the time. Thus the change in the names of defensive and midfield positions reflects the tactical evolution that occurred from the 1960s onwards.
Club career
Club career is defined as the first and last calendar years in which the player appeared for the club in any of the competitions listed below.
Tony Adams, who lies second in the all-time appearance list with 669. He was also captain from 1988 to 2002.Percy Sands made 350 appearances in the early years, when the team was known as Woolwich Arsenal.Another early player, Joe Shaw made 326 appearances.Bob Wilson made 308 appearances for the club in the 1960s and 70s.Frank McLintock made 403 appearances for the Gunners.Nicknamed "The RomfordPelé", Ray Parlour has 464 appearances.Seen here during his time with Portsmouth, Paul Merson has 423 appearances.Dennis Bergkamp has more appearances than any other overseas player.Patrick Vieira was captain from 2002 to 2005.Kenny Sansom preceded Tony Adams as captain, holding the post until 1988.Record goalscorer Thierry Henry, who was also captain from 2005 to 2007.Kolo Touré made 326 appearances for Arsenal.Cesc Fàbregas is Arsenal's youngest-ever goalscorer, and captained the side from 2008 to 2011.Per Mertesacker made 221 appearances for Arsenal and is the current Arsenal Academy manager.Mikel Arteta made 150 appearances for Arsenal and is the current manager.
Players highlighted in bold are still actively playing at Arsenal.
List of Arsenal F.C. players with 100 or more appearances
62 players have captained Arsenal since it was founded as Dial Square F.C. in 1886, first being club founder David Danskin, who captained the team until he was forced to retire due to injury in 1889. The club's longest-serving captain is Tony Adams, who captained the club for 14 years between 1988-2002, and is frequently known as "Mr. Arsenal" for this achievement. The current captain is Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who took over from Granit Xhaka in 2019.
^A club located in the southern counties of England. Initially these were amateur clubs, as professionalism in football was not as readily accepted in the south as in the north. In the 1893–94 season, Arsenal (under its former name Woolwich Arsenal) turned professional and became the first southern club admitted to the northern-oriented Football League. The following year saw the creation of the Southern Football League, which was composed of amateur and professional teams. By the 1920–21 season, the top division of the Southern Football League was absorbed by the Football League, to create its third division.[1][2]
^Rutherford left Arsenal to join Stoke in March 1923, but returned six months later.
^Sandy Robertson replaced Bill Julian as captain in October 1891, and was the second of six captains to serve in the 1891–92 season. However, sources are unclear as to the specific dates of the captaincies of Buist, Howat, Graham, and Stewart.