Who is Arsenal’s most influential player of all-time? Fans debate the ultimate Gunners legend
When we talk about influence on a football team, there are many metrics one might use to measure it.
Football opinion can so often be based around bland stats like goals scored, appearances, or trophies won. But when it comes to having influence on a team or club in general, there is much more to it.
For Arsenal, there have been so many club legends over the years that picking just one name out to be the most influential is a tough ask. The names of Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Liam Brady and David Rocastle spring to mind immediately. But then we have Tony Adams, David Seaman, Patrick Vieira and even in the modern day, Declan Rice and William Saliba getting into the chat.
But out of those names, just who do Arsenal and football fans in general really consider as the most influential Gunner of all-time?
Well, when we put that question out there, there was a resounding argument and vote count for one man in particular.
Football fans name Arsenal’s most influential player of all-time
A question like this has a lot of subjectivity around it and a lot can depend on the era of the fan and just what they witnessed said players do.
However, while our discussion topic caused a few different answers, fans overwhelmingly named Thierry Henry as Arsenal’s most influential player of all-time.
As we all know, Henry is Arsenal’s record goalscorer with 228 goals in 377 appearances in the famous red and white.
In terms of his influence beyond those numbers though, there is far more to Henry. The Frenchman kicked off an era at the club where the Gunners quickly became known for not only playing winning football but playing with a style unmatched in the Premier League.
Furthermore, Henry was also the catalyst and leader behind the Invincibles season, an achievement still yet to be matched by any other team to this day.
There are other reasons to go with Henry as well. In terms of influence on future generations many fans and even current players go with the Frenchman as their idol and influence. Crucially, Henry’s influence goes beyond just being a top player, as Bukayo Saka mentioned when he’d missed his penalty for England in the Euros.
“Thierry Henry was my hero growing up because of what he’s done for my club. After the Euros, he messaged me. He went out of his way to get my number and messaged me and told me that I’m actually a hero. That meant everything to me,” Saka said at the time.
Clearly, Henry was and is an Arsenal icon and legend. As another couple of fans commented, ‘Sometimes the obvious answer is the right one, it’s Thierry Henry’ and ‘The boring answer, but Henry. He has a huge influence on the aesthetic of Arsenal, elegant, quality, creativity.’
While another fan went one further, naming Henry as ‘The greatest Premier League player of all-time’.
Clearly, Henry’s influence and impact on Arsenal is widely recognised. And in fairness, it’s hard to argue against it.
Dennis Bergkamp among the other names up for debate
Of course, it would be remiss of us not to speak about the other names mentioned in response to our question.
Dennis Bergkamp got himself a few honourable mentions and it’s worth noting that the Dutchman was integral to Henry as well during their time together. Indeed, as Talking Points user Anthonymartin84 pointed out, it was Bergkamp who ‘changed everything when he signed from Inter Milan’.
Jordanharris backed the Bergkamp argument too, adding:
‘Influential for the Premier League era is surely Dennis Bergkamp. One of my favourites to watch and almost immediately elevated Arsenal. Still, Thierry Henry is the greatest player.’
Liam Brady was picked by one user for his quality and influence during his time, while former captain Tony Adams got a few mentions in relation to him being the very fabric and heartbeat of the club over such a long period of time.
And, in a bizarre suggestion – although there is rationale behind it – one fan claimed that Declan Rice is Arsenal’s most influential player, claiming Rice to be the ‘missing piece in the jigsaw’ that’s helped push this current Arsenal side to new levels.
Clearly, there are some serious players in the conversation. But when all is said and done, the overwhelming majority of fans see Thierry Henry as the main man in Arsenal’s history.