Arsenal's greatest ever captains

Tony Adams and Patrick Vieira

Arsenal’s greatest ever captains 

By Oli Dickson Jefford
 
The position of Arsenal captain is once again up for grabs following the recent decision to strip Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of the armband.
 
It is the second consecutive time that the captaincy has been stripped in such a way, with Granit Xhaka removed from the role before Aubameyang took over the position.
 
The position has been a hard one to nail down in recent campaigns with eight captains in the last ten years alone, with the club unable to find a consistent leader.
 
That hasn’t always been the case, with some of the club’s greatest ever players taking the role and thriving in it.
 
We take a look at some of those predecessors that the new captain - whoever that is - will hope to emulate.
 

Tony Adams

 
Arguably Arsenal's most iconic captain, Adams took the role from Kenny Sansom in March 1988 aged just 21 and did not relinquish it until his retirement in 2002.
 
A one-club man, Adams is considered one of the best players in the club’s history and was one of the most feared and successful defenders of his generation, making 672 club appearances.
 
He captained the side to the First Division title in 1989 and 1991 and then the Premier League title in 1998 and in his final season in 2002.

Tony Adams

 
It wasn’t just in the league where he led Arsenal to success, as he lifted three FA Cups, two EFL Cups, a European Cup Winners’ Cup and a Community Shield.
 
Adams is one of the greatest club captains in English football’s history and will not be forgotten by Arsenal fans any time soon.
 

Patrick Vieira

 
Patrick Vieira was Adams’ natural successor as captain and though he was not captain for as long as his former teammate, he was still hugely influential.
 
The Frenchman was captain for three seasons and won one Premier League title during that time in 2003-04 - the iconic ‘Invincibles’ season.

Patrick Vieira

 
That in itself is an extraordinary achievement but, much like Adams, Vieira’s success was not constrained to the league.
 
Arsenal won the FA Cup in both 2003 and 2005 as their golden age under Arsene Wenger continued under Vieira’s captaincy, with the Frenchman still a hugely popular figure in the red side of North London.
 
The fact that Arsenal’s success and form tailed off after he moved to Juventus in 2005 shows just how much of an impact he had during his time at the club and as captain.
 

Frank McLintock

 
It has been 50 years since Arsenal famously won the First Division and FA Cup double, and it was Frank McLintock who was captain at the time. 
 
The Scot, who joined Arsenal back in 1964, first became captain in 1968 at a time where Arsenal were slowly starting to rebuild as a club.
 
The Gunners had spent the past few years languishing down in mid-table, though things began to turn around in the late 1960s and McLintock played a significant part in the revival.

Frank McLintock


He led the club to the Inter-City Fairs Cup in 1970, Arsenal’s first European trophy, before came one of Arsenal’s finest seasons in history.
 
The Gunners pipped Leeds by just a point to take the First Division Trophy and then beat Liverpool in a famous FA Cup final to seal the double.
 
It’s one of the greatest moments in Arsenal’s history and has earned McLintock a special place in the hearts of Arsenal fans of a certain generation.
 

Pat Rice

 
Younger Gooners will remember Rice for being Arsene Wenger’s assistant manager and right-hand man for several years.
 
But he was also a hugely influential figure at the club as a player and someone who served as captain for four years between 1976 and 1980.

Pat Rice

 
Having been a member of the double-winning side at the beginning of the decade, Rice led the club to further silverware during his time as skipper.
 
Arsenal famously prevailed in the 1979 FA Cup final, beating Man Utd in a thrilling 3-2 contest that remains one of the most popular triumphs in the club’s history.
 
Rice’s stint as captain was not as illustrious as the likes of Adams and Vieira, but he remains an iconic figure at the club and one of its greatest captains. 


Image credit: Getty Images

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