Ranking the 5 Best Players to Represent Arsenal and Manchester City
Throughout history, Arsenal and Manchester City have shared a number of players, particularly in recent years since the Blues’ 2008 takeover.
The millions poured into City by Sheikh Mansour have changed not just the face of the club, but the landscape of English football. The idea they would be able to take Arsenal’s first-choice players prior to Mansour’s arrival would have been fanciful at best, but they have done it numerous times since, going from perennial underachievers to the dominant English side.
The two sides meet on Monday evening in what is likely to be a crucial game. Arsenal sit second, one point ahead of third-placed City. With Leicester City reaffirming their dominance at the top of the table with an away win at Everton on Saturday, both sides know three points are vital.
To get in the mood for the weekend’s standout game at the Emirates, here we take a look at the five best players to have appeared for both clubs. We ranked players on their abilities and achievements, and they don’t necessarily have to have been a success at both clubs.
5. David Rocastle
1 of 5David Rocastle was a supremely talented midfielder—technically gifted and a great passer, with an ability to read the game brilliantly.
He won two league titles with Arsenal, including one of the most dramatic of all time in 1989, when Arsenal beat Liverpool 2-0 at Anfield in the final match of the season, meaning they won the league on goals scored. Rocastle played in every game that season.
He won it again in 1991, but injury restricted him to just 18 appearances this time. He played 14 times for England during his time at Highbury.
After two season with Leeds United, he joined City, where he made 21 Premier League games. City finished 16th in Rocastle’s one season at the club, and they sold him to Chelsea for £1.25 million.
He died in 2001, aged just 33, after suffering from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
4. Niall Quinn
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In December 1985, a young, tall, gangly Irishman named Niall Quinn made his Arsenal debut against Liverpool. He scored a goal and so began a career defined by goals and wonderful holdup ability.
He spent seven years at Arsenal in total, won 13 caps for the Republic of Ireland during that time and won the League Cup in 1987. He scored 20 goals in 81 starts.
At City, he became a club legend. Signed for £800,000 in 1990, he again scored on his debut, this time against Chelsea, and went on to bag 22 in his first season under Howard Kendall.
Against Derby County in ’91, he scored before going in goal late on and saving a penalty, and in 1995/96, a season in which City played some wonderful, attractive football at Maine Road, he was superb alongside either Uwe Rosler or Paul Walsh.
The City fans adored him, with the famous “Niall Quinn’s Disco Pants” refrain still sung on the terraces from time to time. He scored 76 goals in 246 games for the Blues.
3. Nicolas Anelka
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He may have been seen as a moody, troublesome youngster, but Nicolas Anelka’s record at Arsenal was undeniably outstanding.
His nomadic career began at Paris Saint-Germain, but he signed for the Gunners in February 1997 at age 17 for £500,000.
He was an instant success. His pace and calmness in front of goal were remarkable, and in 1998/99, he scored 17 league goals, finishing as top scorer, and won the PFA Young Player of the Year award.
He made 90 appearances and scored 28 goals for Arsenal but left in 1999 and signed for Real Madrid for £22.3 million.
After spells with PSG and Liverpool, he signed for City during Kevin Keegan’s tenure and was a class apart for much of his time there, scoring 45 goals in three seasons for the Blues.
2. David Seaman
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David Seaman’s time at City was an unmitigated disaster, but one dreadful six-month period cannot spoil his legacy. This, remember, is one of English football’s great goalkeepers.
Seaman spent 13 years at Arsenal. He won three league titles, four FA Cups, a League Cup, a Cup Winners' Cup and a UEFA Cup. It was a glittering period, and Seaman was a vital component in the club’s success. He made 656 appearances for the North London side.
He was England’s undisputed No. 1 for much of that time, earning 75 caps.
He joined City in the summer of 2003 after leaving Arsenal, but by January 2004, he had retired at age 40 after a series of errors highlighted his decline. He helped then-manager Kevin Keegan select his successor, and in came David James, the man who had also assumed the mantle of England No. 1 a year earlier.
Seaman played just 26 games for the Blues.
1. Patrick Vieira
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Patrick Vieira remains one of the all-time Premier League greats. His contribution for City (as a player, at least) was minimal in comparison to what he gave Arsenal, but he is the finest player to have appeared for the two clubs.
At Arsenal, he became known as perhaps the best central midfielder in the Premier League, with only Roy Keane coming anywhere close to matching his influence.
He signed for Arsenal from AC Milan in 1996 and spent nine seasons with the Gunners, winning three Premier League titles and four FA Cups.
Physically, few could compete with him, and he was superb technically. No one was more influential during the glory years of Arsene Wenger’s reign.
After a spell in Italy with Juventus and Inter Milan, he played his final days at City and helped them win the 2011 FA Cup—the club’s first piece of major silverware in 35 years.
He assumed an ambassadorial role at the club after his retirement before taking charge of the club’s EDS side, winning the International Premier League Cup and overseeing the transition into the new £150 million academy facility.
He’s an extremely popular figure inside the City Football Group (CFG), and on January 1, he will officially take over at New York City FC and lead them in their second season in Major League Soccer.
He’s a true legend of the game and a future City manager in waiting.
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