Picking an All-Time Arsenal Legends XI

As one of the most successful clubs in the history of English football, Arsenal have had their share of legends and wonderful players over the years.

With a run in the top flight that is approaching a century without interruption, the club must have had some pretty good players over many eras to deliver that incredible consistency, and Gunners fans sometimes struggle to rank all the best athletes in club history.

The toughest question in the pub is that age-old thinker: If you could pick from all the club's best players in their primes, who would you take to construct a single starting XI?

I will give you my answer here. Leave any disputes in the comments, as I will be glad to see them.

Goalkeeper: David Seaman

Arsenal's greatest goalkeeper in their history was a unique man and one of the greatest 'keeping talents of his era.

With a ponytail and later a lovable gut, Seaman reached the peak of his career during a 13-year stretch at Arsenal that saw him win three league championships and four FA Cups from 1990 to 2003.

He established a reputation for being a penalty-saving specialist, and he had a penchant for pulling off incredible saves, even as his mobility decreased later in his career.

Seaman was the rock behind the fabled back four of Dixon, Adams, Keown and Winterburn, and when opponents somehow managed to breach that back four, they were almost sure to be stopped by the incredible Seaman.

Arsenal have never quite replaced their ponytailed shot-stopper, although there is hope that Wojciech Szczesny can assume the mantle vacated by Seaman.

Right Back: Pat Rice

Pat Rice has been an icon and a fixture at Arsenal for almost a half a century due to his incomparable talent on the right wing and later as a fiery assistant to Arsene Wenger.

The Northern Irishman was a fixture in the team for 14 years and ascended to the captaincy before he finished his career at Watford, earning more than 500 appearances.

His work rate, in particular, was unequaled, and his consistent quality drove Arsenal to five FA Cup Finals during the 1970s, including the one which secured the Double in 1971 and the famous 3-2 win over Manchester United in 1979.

Center-Back: Martin Keown

One of the greatest man-markers of his generation, Keown blended a superb knowledge of the game with brute force and strength to become a fantastic all-around defender.

You could make the argument that Sol Campbell should get the nod here, but it is hard to deny the honor to Keown, who served Arsenal for a total of 13 years and who formed the bedrock of the legendary Arsenal defences of the 1990s.

He took the rugged, "no-nonsense" approach to defending that made it almost impossible to get past him and allowed him to play on until he was approaching 40.

Center-Back: Tony Adams

In over 500 appearances spread over an astounding 19 years as a one-club man, Adams cemented himself as one of the greatest leaders the game has ever seen, and he is the only player in English football history ever to captain his team to a title in three decades.

Adams was not a technically gifted player at all but would give anything his body would let him to support the cause, and he would grab his men by the neck in order to convey a message. His position was so unique that the likes of Keown could only compete for a place beside him, not for his actual position.

Arsenal could no doubt benefit greatly from having a tenacious leader like Adams in the team today, solidifying the back line and keeping opponents at a healthy level of fear.

Left-Back: Ashley Cole

As much as Arsenal fans love to hate him, most still grudgingly acknowledge that he was a world-class left back when he played for the club.

Cole had (and still has, to a certain degree) a rare blend of natural attacking instinct and defending discipline. Tremendous pace allowed him to race up and down the pitch, and his skill at every facet of the game made him a weapon anywhere, any time.

It was when he linked up with Thierry Henry and Robert Pires on the left side of Arsenal's attack that the Gunners were at their most devastating, and Cole locked down the left side of several defences before he left for Chelsea under acrimonious circumstances.

Central Midfielder: Patrick Vieira

Patrick Vieira was one of those rare players who had it all. His size and strength meant that he could put in a crunching tackle and intimidate the opposition, while his incredible technique and footballing mind allowed him to be Arsenal's chief midfield architect.

His magisterial presence in Arsene Wenger's most successful teams embodied the manager's well-rounded, swashbuckling style, and it was always Vieira who formed the linchpin of those sides.

One could argue that Arsenal have not replaced him since he left in 2005, and it is no coincidence that the Gunners have not won anything without him.

Central Midfielder: Liam Brady

I was tempted to slot in Cesc Fabregas here, but, on the whole, Liam Brady probably did more at Arsenal, considering the relatively unsophisticated times in which he played and the influence which he exerted on the club.

Such was the nature of Liam Brady's incredible talent and the degree to which he was beloved among Arsenal fans of the 1970s that his transfer to Juventusbrought brought about almost universal depression.

Those who saw him play have sworn there was magic in his left foot. He could place a pinpoint cross anywhere he wanted to, and he could stroke a pass or shot like no other in his era.

His Arsenal career was highlighted by his pass to start the move that led to Alan Sunderland's famous last-second winner against Manchester United in the 1979 FA Cup Final.

Right Winger: Freddie Ljungberg

Freddie Ljungberg was one of the weirdest, most unlikely and most exciting players of the Arsene Wenger era.

Plucked from tiny BK Halmstad in 1998, the Swede immediately brought his brand of athletic, flowing football to the Premier League to help Arsenal to their greatest successes in the early 2000s.

Ljungberg's best season was probably the 2002 double campaign, in which he scored 17 total goals and was so clutch during the run-in that he earned himself the Player of the Year award.

He would go on to establish himself as one of the most vital pieces of Arsenal's attack during the "Invincibles" campaign of 2003-04, rarely disappointing in his creativity of finishing. 

Left Winger: Robert Pires

Despite a slow start to life in England, Robert Pires grew into one of Arsene Wenger's best signings and a crucial member of Arsenal's most successful teams.

He certainly had an abundance of pace, but he did not need to rely upon it, for his technique was impeccable, and he could both place a pinpoint pass and score truly amazing goals.

Without Pires, the Arsenal engine could not run with nearly the same beauty and efficiency that it did with him. Forming the crucial link between Ashley Cole and Thierry Henry, much of the attacking beauty that characterized the last Gunners team to win anything came through Pires.

Striker: Dennis Bergkamp

How can one begin to describe the sheer brilliance of Dennis Bergkamp? When he was signed from Inter Milan in 1995, it signaled a daring change in strategy for "boring, boring Arsenal," and the Dutchman was the catalyst for much of the Gunners' success under Arsene Wenger.

He was the archetypal No. 10, playing just behind Thierry Henry to create chances for the Frenchman and support the attack. Without Bergkamp, the awesome counterattacking style that Arsenal played a decade ago would not have flowed with the same beauty.

Even as he aged, the Dutchman was still a critical member of the squad, and without much running, he could use his marvelous footballing brain to pick apart defences at will.

And for a man who never scored tap-ins or easy strikes to rack up 120 goals is an incredible feat.

Striker: Thierry Henry

Who else but the club's best ever player to lead the line of the club's best side ever?

Time after time, Henry used his blistering pace and superb skill to slice open defences by himself and coolly slot home the finish. Henry was the one-man counterattack, and he could do even more incredible things when set up by his teammates.

When on form, there was simply no stopping the Frenchman, who was Arsenal's greatest player in their illustrious history. You don't hold the all-time scoring record at a club like Arsenal and surpass one of the greatest scorers in English history—Ian Wright—without an immense amount of skill and durability.

And even after all these years away, Henry's recent loan spell proves that he still has that legendary class.

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