In years past, Arsenal fans would have to watch an England team full of players from Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool.
It was a damming indictment of where the club was at that time, but over the last four or five years, things have changed.
It's not unusual to see three or four of Mikel Arteta's players in the Three Lions squad these days, and few from the white side of North London, which might explain the team's uptick in quality and performances.
Saka
Thursday was another example of how important Arsenal have become for the national team, with Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze scoring the goals and Declan Rice marshalling the midfield.
There is no sign of this relationship between club and country slowing down either, especially as Hale End could be brewing England's next superstar, who could follow in the footsteps of Rice and Saka.
Rice and Saka's England careers
So, while Arsenal fans would love to take the credit for moulding Rice into one of England's most important players, West Ham United should get more of the credit.
After all, he made his debut for the Three Lions in 2019, while playing for the East Londoners, and was still a Hammer for the Euros in 2021 and the World Cup the following year.
However, he has arguably become more instrumental to the national side since his move to the Emirates, and wore the captain's armband for the first time in March 2024.
So far, the all-action midfielder has won 71 senior caps for England, in which he's scored six goals and provided six assists and nine of those goal involvements have come since his £105m in the summer of 2023.
Now, an England star Arsenal can take full credit for is, of course, Saka, who is Hale End's greatest product in a generation.
Saka
The 24-year-old made his debut for the national team against Wales in October 2020 and has since gone on to amass an impressive tally of 47 caps, in which he has scored 14 goals, provided nine assists and been named England's Player of the Year twice in succession.
Moreover, he has played a significant role for the country in every major tournament since, despite receiving horrific abuse after the 2021 Euros final.
In all, so long as they remain fit, Rice and Saka should, and will, be two of the first names on Thomas Tuchel's teamsheet at the World Cup, and in a few years, they could be joined by another Arsenal star, someone who could even surpass them in importance.
Arsenal's next England star
While the likes of Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly are surely going to become regular starters for England, the Hale End gem who could well become a superstar for Tuchel and Co is Max Dowman.
Max-Dowman-Arsenal
Despite still being just 15 years old, the teenager has been one of the most talked-about players at Arsenal this season, although for those in the know, he has been a subject of interest for longer than that.
For example, in September of last year, respected talent scout Jacek Kulig boldly proclaimed him as the "most exciting prospect" he had seen "since Lamine Yamal."
As if that wasn't praise enough, just a couple of months later, Hale End expert Will Balsam called him "the biggest talent in England" and described him as "one of the greatest footballing brains that's ever come through Hale End."
Now, while that all sounds somewhat hyperbolic, and perhaps to an extent it is, it's not hard to see where they were coming from, considering he was just 14 at the time and destroying defenders in the U18S and even the U21S that season.
Dowman in 24/25
Appearances
Minutes
Goals
Assists
Goal Involvements per Match
Minutes per Goal Involvement
All Stats via Transfermarkt
For example, he ended last season with a tally of 19 goals and five assists in 23 appearances, totalling 1945 minutes, which comes out to an average of 1.04 goal involvements per match, or one every 81.04 minutes.
Unsurprisingly, this saw him included in the club's pre-season tour, where he made his first appearance in front of the fans against a physical Newcastle United side, but instead of shying away, he, in the words of analyst Ben Mattinson, started "humiliating Premier League players."
Max-Dowman-Arsenal
Since then, he has made his Premier League debut, become the youngest ever starter for Arsenal, and broke the record as the youngest player in Champions League history.
In other words, the Hale Ender is looking like a generational talent, and he's already making his impact felt on the international scene as well.
Even though he's not turning 16 until New Year's Eve, the Chelmsford-born gem is already a regular feature for England's U19S, making six appearances for them, in which he's scored one goal and provided two assists.
With his incredible performances, it feels like a matter of when, not if, he is handed his first senior England cap.
Ultimately, Saka and Rice are currently two of England's most important players, but in a few years from now, Dowman could be up there with them, if not more important.