Arsenal 21st Century rankings GFXGOAL
Matt O'Connor-Simpson

Thierry Henry, Bukayo Saka and the 25 best Arsenal players of the 21st century - ranked

OpinionArsenalPremier LeagueB. SakaM. OedegaardFEATURES

The Gunners have won two Premier League titles and a host of other domestic honours since the year 2000 - but who were their best performers?

Arsenal began the 21st century as one of the best two teams in England. Twenty-five years on, they are in the same position. However, the years in between saw the club's fortunes fade considerably.

While the early 2000s represented one of the greatest eras in the Gunners' history, capped off by the iconic 2003-04 Invincibles season, the 2010s were characterised by disappointment as Arsene Wenger struggled to continue to weave his magic in a fast-changing footballing landscape.

At the end of that decade, the arrival of Mikel Arteta kickstarted the process of Arsenal returning to title-contender status, but that journey has been far from painless, with the Spaniard overseeing some of the toughest seasons in living memory.

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But even when Arsenal have experienced lean times, there have always been plenty of amazing players to help keep fans entertained. From the mentality monsters who inspired the Premier League title-winning campaigns, to the new heroes who have helped restore the good times under Arteta more recently, GOAL ranks the absolute cream of the crop from the past quarter of a century...

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Frequently asked questions

A group of workers from the Woolwich Arsenal Armanent Factory, who called themselves Dial Square, formed a football team in 1886. They would later rename themselves to Royal Arsenal in the same year. In 1893, the club was renamed to Woolwich Arsenal, before finally being named just Arsenal in 1919, six years after they moved to Highbury.

American billionaire Enos Stanley Kroenke is the owner of Arsenal, purchasing the club via Arsenal Holdings Limited, a subsidiary of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE).

The Emirates Stadium is the name of Arsenal's stadium. It has been the team's home ground since 2006, replacing Highbury, which served as Arsenal's home venue from 1913.

The Emirates Stadium has a capacity of 60,704 and is among the UK's biggest football venues.

Arsenal have won 48 trophies till date, including 13 league titles and a record 14 FA Cups.

Arsenal have 13 English top flight titles to their name, making them the third-most successful team behind Man Utd and Liverpool. They, however, won their last title over two decades ago.

London-born Irish defender David O'Leary sits at the top of the list for most Arsenal appearances in history. O'Leary spent 18 years at the club and made 722 appearances in all competitions, ahead of Tony Adams, George Armstrong, and Lee Dixon.

Thierry Henry is Arsenal's leading goalscorer of all-time with 228 goals in 377 games. No other Arsenal player has scored over 200 goals for the club, with Ian Wright sitting in second place (185 goals in 288 games).

Thierry Henry, Cesc Fabregas, Dennis Bergkamp, Mesut Ozil, Robert Pires, and Robin van Persie are among the popular footballing names to have played for Arsenal.

Arsene Wenger, Unai Emery, George Graham, and Herbert Chapman are among the biggest names to have been in charge of Arsenal throughout their notable history.

Arsenal have a pretty unique nickname, called The Gunners. This nickname is a reference to the club's origins in the late 19th century, when a group of workers from the Royal Arsenal armanent factory in Woolwich formed the club. That's also the reason why the Arsenal badge includes a cannon.