Arsenal welcome AS Monaco to North London in the UEFA Champions League this evening.
The Gunners have more in common with Monaco than just the red and white colours. Arsenal icon Arsene Wenger managed both clubs during an illustrious managerial career, while several stars have represented both teams.
Ahead of their European encounter, we’ve remembered five of the best players to have played for Arsenal and Monaco.
Five of the best players to play for Arsenal and Monaco
Emmanuel Petit
Emmanuel Petit won the Ligue 1 title after emerging from the ranks at Monaco, where he was introduced into the senior side by Arsene Wenger.
After moving to the Premier League, Wenger secured a £2.5m deal to reunite with Petit in North London. Petit had spent much of his career at Monaco as a defender but was transformed into a powerful defensive midfielder at Arsenal. He formed a brilliant partnership with Patrick Vieira in the engine room as Arsenal won a Premier League and FA Cup double in 1997/98.
20 years ago, @Arsenal signed Emmanuel Petit who had a 🔝 debut season 🏆🏆#OnThisDay pic.twitter.com/aZJ4i1qQa7
— Premier League (@premierleague) June 4, 2017
He made 118 appearances for Arsenal before leaving for Barcelona in a double deal that also saw Marc Overmars head to the Camp Nou.
Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry was another name nurtured at Monaco before exploding in an Arsenal shirt. After tutelage in the prestigious Clairefontaine academy for French football’s best talents, Henry broke into the Monaco side and was named Ligue 1’s Young Player of the Year during the club’s title success in 1996/97.
A move to Juventus followed after Henry had helped France to World Cup success in 1998, but he endured an unhappy time in Turin. Arsene Wenger, who was Monaco’s manager at the time of Henry’s arrival at the club, agreed a £10.5m deal to sign the underperforming winger.
Happy birthday, Thierry Henry! 🥳
Which is your favourite of his 175 #PL goals for Arsenal? pic.twitter.com/wwWLtkHa9e
— Premier League (@premierleague) August 17, 2022
At Arsenal, Henry was transformed from an inconsistent wide player to a free-scoring forward, evolving into the Premier League’s finest talent. He won two league titles, two FA Cups and a record four Golden Boot accolades, in addition to breaking Ian Wright’s goal record for the Gunners. Henry ended his time at Arsenal, that later included a short loan spell, with 228 goals in 377 appearances.
Emmanuel Adebayor
Arsenal snapped up the unproven Emmanuel Adebayor from Monaco for a fee of just £3m in January 2006. The gangly goalscorer took time to settle in North London but flourished during the 2007/08 season.
He scored 24 league goals to finish as runner-up to Cristiano Ronaldo for the Premier League’s Golden Boot and earned the Goal of the Season accolade for a stunning North London derby strike against Tottenham.
Ridiculous technique from @E_Adebayor in the north London derby 💥#GoalOfTheDay pic.twitter.com/oL0nJYDabw
— Premier League (@premierleague) July 16, 2021
Adebayor scored 62 goals across four seasons with the Gunners but soured his reputation after a controversial move to Manchester City.
Cesc Fabregas
Cesc Fabregas broke into the Arsenal side as a teenager and never looked back. The Spaniard’s sublime creativity marked Fabregas out as one of the Premier League’s most influential midfielders and he was named PFA Young Player of the Year in 2007/08.
By 22, he was Arsenal captain and a marauding goalscoring force, but the lure of boyhood club Barcelona proved strong.
A true pass master
👏 @cesc4official pic.twitter.com/ynAIZ8FPRI
— Premier League (@premierleague) January 11, 2019
After 303 appearances for Arsenal, he signed for Barcelona in 2011, where he won six trophies across three seasons. Fabregas returned to the Premier League with Chelsea and won two league titles with the Blues, before winding down his career with a four-season spell at Monaco.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s struggle for opportunities at AC Milan saw the forward embark on numerous loans, including an underwhelming spell at Monaco in 2010/11 that yielded just two goals in 23 appearances.
Few then would have envisioned his development into one of the best goalscorers of his era. After thriving at Saint-Etienne, he scored prolifically at Borussia Dortmund, before joining Arsenal as the club’s record signing in January 2018.
A remarkable 92 goals in 163 games followed, including a 22-goal haul that won Aubameyang a share of the Premier League’s Golden Boot in 2018/19.
Read – Iconic Performances: Thierry Henry’s irresistible display at Inter
See more – Iconic Duos: Arsenal’s monstrous midfield partnership, Petit and Vieira
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