A look at the top scorers in the history of Arsenal football club
Founded in 1886, Arsenal have long been considered one of the biggest and most successful teams in English football.
They are statistically the third most successful team in English football history in terms of silverware behind Manchester United and Liverpool and hold the unique distinction of being the longest serving top-flight team in history, having played in England’s highest division since 1920.
In that time, Gunners fans have been treated to watching some of the best and most talented goalscorers the game has had to offer, but who is the top scorer in Arsenal’s history and how many times did they find the net for the iconic North London club?
Here’s all you need to know.
Who is Arsenal’s all-time leading goalscorer?
French football legend Thierry Henry is Arsenal’s all-time leading goalscorer with an incredible 228 goals in 377 matches across all competitions. This gives him an overall goals per game ratio of 0.6 per match and on average means he scored one goal in every 144 minutes that he played for the Gunners.
Henry joined Arsenal from Juventus in 1999 for a figure of around £11m, having mainly played as a winger prior to his arrival at Highbury. He scored 17 times in both of his first two seasons in North London but had to wait until his third season before he finally tasted silverware as he won the league and FA Cup double in 2000/01.
The 123-time international lifted two league titles, three FA Cups and reached both the Champions League and UEFA Cup final during his time with the club. He won the PFA Player of the Year award on two occasions and was included in the Team of the Year a combined total of six times while winning four Golden Boots, which is the joint most alongside Mohamed Salah.
Henry was known for his blistering speed, exceptional dribbling ability and clinical finishing in front of goal. However, he was also renowned for his immense creativity and has the second most assists in the club’s history with 101, leaving him just 15 behind Dennis Bergkamp.
Arsenal’s top 10 goalscorers of all time
Thierry Henry is Arsenal’s most prolific bagsman but he faces strong competition from a number of talented strikers.
Ian Wright, for example, who was signed from Crystal Palace, boasts a formidable record of 185 goals in 288 games for the Gunners while winning a league title, a League Cup, two FA Cups and the Cup Winners Cup.
Meanwhile, Cliff Bastin, a legend of the 1930s, scored an incredible 153 goals from 293 games while playing as a left winger while winning the league five times and the FA Cup twice.
Henry’s successor in attack Robin van Persie also boasts an impressive record of 132 goals in 278 matches while winning the FA Cup but his popularity is tarnished in some corners by the fact that he controversially left the Emirates Stadium to join Manchester United in 2012.
Here is the list of Arsenal’s top 10 goalscorers of all time
Thierry Henry - 228
Ian Wright - 185
Cliff Bastin - 153
Robin van Persie - 132
John Radford - 132
Doug Lishman - 128
Ted Drake - 120
Dennis Bergkamp - 120
Alan Smith - 113
Theo Walcott - 108
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