Today is Arsene Wenger’s 70th birthday so it seems a good time to look back at some of his best players.
1Tony Adams
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM: Arsenal’s Captain Tony Adams salutes the crowd during the game against Sunderland in the Premier League match at Highbury in London 30 March 2002. Adams playing his 500th league game, captained his team to a 3-0 victory. AFP PHOTO Adrian DENNIS
No list of the best and the brightest of the Gunners would be complete without “Mr. Arsenal” himself, Tony Adams. An English centre back in the classic sense, Adams racked up 669 appearances, 10 major titles and 48 goals in his time with Arsenal, and he also captained both his league team and his national one.
“Big Tone” (as he was affectionately called by the fans off the pitch) struggled with alcohol abuse, but he eventually conquered that with the same sheer determination that saw him overcome some of the best strikers in the game.
In 2011 Arsenal unveiled a statue of Adams at the Emirates Stadium—a fitting honour to one of the best players ever to have worn the shirt.