List of Arsenal F.C. records and statistics

Arsenal Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Islington, London. The club was formed in Woolwich in 1886 as Dial Square before being renamed as Royal Arsenal, and then Woolwich Arsenal in 1893.[1] In 1914, the club's name was shortened to Arsenal F.C. after moving to Highbury a year earlier.[2] After spending their first four seasons solely participating in cup tournaments and friendlies, Arsenal became the first southern member admitted into the Football League in 1893.[3] In spite of finishing fifth in the Second Division in 1919, the club was voted to rejoin the First Division at the expense of local rivals Tottenham Hotspur.[4] Since that time, they have not fallen below the first tier of the English football league system and hold the record for the longest uninterrupted period in the top flight.[5] The club remained in the Football League until 1992, when its First Division was superseded as English football's top level by the newly formed Premier League, of which they were an inaugural member.[6]

Freddie Ljunberg, wearing gloves and a redcurrant football shirt applauds the crowd. A stand full with people and man wearing a football shirt are visible in the background.
Thierry Henry became Arsenal's record goalscorer in October 2005.

The list encompasses the honours won by Arsenal at national, regional, county and friendly level, records set by the club, their managers and their players. The player records section itemises the club's leading goalscorers and those who have made most appearances in first-team competitions. It also records notable achievements by Arsenal players on the international stage, and the highest transfer fees paid and received by the club. Attendance records at Highbury, the Emirates Stadium, the club's home ground since 2006, and Wembley Stadium, their temporary home for UEFA Champions League games between 1998 and 1999, are also included.

Arsenal have won 13 top-flight titles, and hold the record for the most FA Cup wins, with 14. The club's record appearance maker is David O'Leary, who made 722 appearances between 1975 and 1993. Thierry Henry is Arsenal's record goalscorer, scoring 228 goals in total.

All figures are correct as of 6 August 2023.

Honours and achievements

The Premier League commissioned a unique gold trophy to commemorate Arsenal's unbeaten season of 2003–04.

Arsenal's first ever silverware was won as the Royal Arsenal in 1890. The Kent Junior Cup, won by Royal Arsenal's reserves, was the club's first trophy, while the first team's first trophy came three weeks later when they won the Kent Senior Cup.[7][8] Their first national major honour came in 1930, when they won the FA Cup.[9] The club enjoyed further success in the 1930s, winning another FA Cup and five Football League First Division titles.[10][11] Arsenal won their first league and cup double in the 1970–71 season and twice repeated the feat, in 1997–98 and 2001–02, as well as winning a cup double of the FA Cup and League Cup in 1992–93.[12] In 2003–04, Arsenal recorded an unbeaten top-flight league season, something achieved only once before by Preston North End in 1888–89, who only had to play 22 games.[13] To mark the achievement, a special gold version of the Premier League trophy was commissioned and presented to the club the following season.[14] Their most recent success came in 2023, when they defeated Manchester City 4–1 on penalties to secure their 17th Community Shield title.[15]

Arsenal's honours and achievements include the following:[a]

EFL and Premier League

Winners (13): 1930–31, 1932–33, 1933–34, 1934–35, 1937–38, 1947–48, 1952–53, 1970–71, 1988–89, 1990–91, 1997–98, 2001–02, 2003–04
Runners-up (10): 1925–26, 1931–32, 1972–73, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2015–16, 2022–23
Runners-up (1): 1903–04
Winners (2): 1986–87, 1992–93
Runners-up (6): 1967–68, 1968–69, 1987–88, 2006–07, 2010–11, 2017–18
Winners (1): 1988 (record)

The FA

Winners (14): 1929–30, 1935–36, 1949–50, 1970–71, 1978–79, 1992–93, 1997–98, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2016–17, 2019–20 (record)
Runners-up (7): 1926–27, 1931–32, 1951–52, 1971–72, 1977–78, 1979–80, 2000–01
Winners (17): 1930, 1931, 1933, 1934, 1938, 1948, 1953, 1991 (shared), 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2020, 2023
Runners-up (7): 1935, 1936, 1979, 1989, 1993, 2003, 2005

UEFA

Runners-up (1): 2005–06
Runners-up (2): 1999–2000, 2018–19
Winners (1): 1993–94
Runners-up (2): 1979–80, 1994–95
Runners-up (1): 1994
Winners (1): 1969–70

Regional honours

London FA

Winners (1): 1890–91
Runners-up (1): 1889–90
Winners (11): 1921–22, 1923–24, 1930–31, 1933–34, 1935–36, 1953–54, 1954–55, 1957–58, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1969–70 (record)
Runners-up (6): 1914–15, 1925–26, 1936–37, 1960–61, 1965–66
Winners (1): 1889–90

Kent County FA

Winners (1): 1889–90

Friendly titles

The following titles are from friendly competitions and exhibition games, where match statistics such as player appearances and goals are not considered in overall figures.

Wartime

Winners (2): 1941–42, 1942–43 (shared record)
Winners (1): 1939–40
Runners-up (2): 1940–41, 1942–43
Winners (1): 1942–43 (shared record)

Mid-season

  • Zenith Data Systems British Championship[33]
Winners (2): 1953, 1989 (shared record)
Runners-up (1): 1933
Winners (4): 1931, 1933, 1965, 1966 (shared record)
Winners (1): 1958–59 (shared record)
Winners (2): 1951, 1954 (record)
  • Will Mather Manor House Hospital Memorial Trophy[8]
Winners (2): 1949, 1950
  • Mayor of Colchester's Cup[38]
Winners (1): 1939
  • Bath Coronation Cup[39]
Winners (1): 1937
  • Footballers' Battalion Charity Fund Match[8]
Winners (1): 1915
  • London Professional Footballers' Association Charity Fund Match[8]
Winners (5): 1908, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1914 (record)
Runners-up (2): 1909, 1913
  • Southern Professional Charity Cup[40]
Winners (1): 1905–06
Runners-up (1): 1903–04
Winners (1): 2022–23

Pre-season

Winners (1): 2022
Winners (7): 2007, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2017, 2022, 2023 (record)
Runners-up (2): 2014, 2019
Runners-up (1): 2017
  • Audi Football Summit Shanghai[45]
Winners (1): 2017
Winners (2): 2013, 2016
Runners-up (1): 2012
Winners (2): 2016, 2023
Winners (1): 2015
Runners-up (1): 2014
Winners (1): 2013
Winners (1): 2013
  • Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust Challenge Cup[53]
Winners (1): 2012 (shared)
Winners (2): 2011, 2012
  • Markus Liebherr Memorial Cup[56]
Winners (1): 2012
Runners-up (1): 2011
Winners (3): 2005, 2007, 2008
  • Herbert Chapman Memorial Trophy[57]
Winners (1): 2008
Winners (1): 2002
Winners (3): 1988, 1989, 1994 (shared record)
Runners-up (2): 1990, 1991
Winners (1): 1993
Winners (2): 1990, 1991 (record)
Winners (1): 1989
  • Bielefeld Tournament[51]
Winners (1): 1984
  • City of Edinburgh Cup[33]
Winners (1): 1941
Winners (2): 1914, 1935
  • Northampton Hospital Charity Shield[65]
Winners (3): 1930, 1931, 1932
  • Southend Hospital Cup[66]
Winners (2): 1920–21, 1921–22
  • Metropolitan Hospital Cup[66]
Winners (1): 1920–21

Player records

Appearances

Most appearances

Competitive matches only, includes appearances as substitute. Numbers in brackets indicate goals scored.[67][68]

RankPlayerYearsLeagueaFA CupLeague CupEuropeOtherbTotalTotal including Centenary Trophy
1 David O'Leary1975–1993558 (11)70 (1)70 (2)21 (0)3 (0)722 (14)724 (14)
2 Tony Adams1983–2002504 (32)54 (8)59 (5)48 (3)4 (0)669 (48)672 (49)
3 George Armstrong1961–1977500 (53)60 (10)35 (3)26 (2)0 (0)621 (68)
3 Lee Dixon1988–2002458 (25)54 (1)45 (0)57 (2)5 (0)619 (28)621 (28)
5 Nigel Winterburn1987–2000440 (8)47 (0)49 (3)43 (1)5 (0)584 (12)587 (12)
6 David Seaman1990–2003405 (0)48 (0)38 (0)69 (0)4 (0)564 (0)
7 Pat Rice1964–1980397 (12)67 (1)36 (0)27 (0)1 (0)528 (13)
8 Peter Storey1965–1977391 (9)51 (4)37 (2)22 (2)0 (0)501 (17)
9 John Radford1964–1976379 (111)44 (15)34 (12)24 (11)0 (0)481 (149)
10 Peter Simpson1964–1978370 (10)53 (1)33 (3)21 (1)0 (0)477 (15)
a. Includes the Football League and the Premier League.
b. Includes goals and appearances (including those as a substitute) in the FA Charity/Community Shield.

Goalscorers

Top goalscorers

Thierry Henry is the all-time top goalscorer for Arsenal. He passed Ian Wright's eight-year record after scoring twice in a European tie against Sparta Prague in October 2005.[74] Henry was Arsenal's leading goalscorer for seven consecutive seasons, from 1999–2000 to 2005–06.[75]

Competitive matches only. Numbers in brackets indicate appearances made.[72][76][77]

RankPlayerYearsLeaguea
Games/Goals
FA Cup
Games/Goals
League Cup
Games/Goals
Europe
Games/Goals
Otherb
Games/Goals
Total
Games/Goals
1 Thierry Henry1999–2007, 2012258 / 17526 / 83 / 286 / 424 / 1377 / 228
2 Ian Wright1991–1998221 / 12816 / 1229 / 2921 / 151 / 1288 / 185
3 Cliff Bastin1929–1947350 / 15042 / 260 / 00 / 04 / 2396 / 178
4 John Radford1964–1976379 / 11144 / 1534 / 1224 / 110 / 0481 / 149
5 Jimmy Brain1923–1931204 / 12527 / 140 / 00 / 01 / 0232 / 139
Ted Drake1934–1945168 / 12414 / 120 / 00 / 02 / 3184 / 139
7 Doug Lishman1948–1956226 / 12517 / 100 / 00 / 01 / 2244 / 137
8 Robin van Persie2004–2012193 / 9617 / 1012 / 653 / 202 / 0278 / 132
9 Joe Hulme1926–1938333 / 10739 / 170 / 00 / 02 / 1374 / 125
10 David Jack1928–1934181 / 11325 / 100 / 00 / 02 / 1208 / 124
a. Includes the Football League and the Premier League.
b. Includes goals and appearances (including those as a substitute) in the FA Charity/Community Shield.

International

Caesar Jenkyns was the first Arsenal player to receive an international cap.

This section refers only to caps won while an Arsenal player.

At 17 years and 75 days, Theo Walcott became the youngest player to earn an England cap, against Hungary on 30 May 2006.[90]

Transfers

Mesut Özil's transfer to Arsenal from Real Madrid in 2013 broke the club's transfer record at the time by £27.4m.[91]
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's £35m transfer to Liverpool in 2017 was Arsenal's highest fee received for a player transfer.[92] His record would later be matched by Folarin Balogun who joined Monaco for the same fee in 2023.[93]

Declan Rice's transfer from West Ham United is Arsenal's record transfer fee paid for a player, the England international joined the club on 15 July 2023 for £100m, with another £5m in additional bonuses.[94] At the time of the transfer, he was the second most expensive signing in Premier League history after Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernández (£105.6m).[94] English midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (31 August 2017) and American striker Folarin Balogun (30 August 2023) drew Arsenal's record fee received for a player transfer when they joined Liverpool and Monaco respectively for £35m each.[92][93]

In 1928, with Bolton Wanderers in financial trouble, Herbert Chapman's Arsenal made David Jack the first five-digit signing in world football, almost double the previous record; the final fee paid was £10,647 10 shillings.[95] According to Bob Wall, Chapman negotiated the transfer with Bolton's representatives in a hotel bar, his tactic being to drink gin and tonics without any gin in them, while asking the waiter to double the alcohol served to the other side. Chapman remained sober while the Bolton representatives got very drunk, and managed to haggle down the fee to a price he considered a bargain.[96] Jack's transfer to Arsenal was the second time Jack broke the world football transfer record, the first time being his £3,500 move from Plymouth Argyle to Bolton Wanderers in 1920.[97]

For consistency, fees in the record transfer tables below are all sourced from BBC Sport's contemporary reports of each transfer. Where the report mentions an initial fee potentially rising to a higher figure depending on contractual clauses being satisfied in the future, only the initial fee is listed in the tables.

Record transfer fees paid by Arsenal
RankPlayerFee (min.)DateClub transferred fromRef.
1  Declan Rice (ENG)£100m[A]15 July 2023 West Ham United[94]
2  Nicolas Pépé (CIV)£72m1 August 2019 Lille[98]
3  Kai Havertz (GER)£65m28 June 2023 Chelsea[99]
4  Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (GAB)£56m31 January 2018 Borussia Dortmund[100]
5  Ben White (ENG)£50m30 July 2021 Brighton & Hove Albion[101]
6  Alexandre Lacazette (FRA)£46.5m[B]5 July 2017 Lyon[102]
7  Thomas Partey (GHA)£45.3m5 October 2020 Atlético Madrid[103]
8  Gabriel Jesus (BRA)£45m4 July 2022 Manchester City[104]
9  Mesut Özil (GER)£42.4m2 September 2013 Real Madrid[91]
10  Shkodran Mustafi (GER)£35m30 August 2016 Valencia[105]
 Alexis Sánchez (CHI)£35m10 July 2014 Barcelona[106]
 Granit Xhaka (SUI)£35m25 May 2016 Borussia Mönchengladbach[107]
Record transfer fees that Arsenal have received
RankPlayerFee (min.)DateClub transferred toRef.
1  Folarin Balogun (USA)£35m30 August 2023 Monaco[93]
 Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (ENG)£35m31 August 2017 Liverpool[92]
3  Alex Iwobi (NGA)£28m[A]8 August 2019 Everton[108]
4  Cesc Fàbregas (ESP)£25.4m[B]15 August 2011 Barcelona[109]
5  Emmanuel Adebayor (TGO)£25m19 July 2009 Manchester City[110]
 Samir Nasri (FRA)£25m24 August 2011 Manchester City[111]
 Marc Overmars (NED)£25m28 July 2000 Barcelona[112]
8  Nicolas Anelka (FRA)£23.5m2 August 1999 Real Madrid[113]
9  Robin van Persie (NED)£22.5m[C]15 August 2012 Manchester United[114]
10  Granit Xhaka (SUI)£21.4m6 July 2023 Bayer Leverkusen[115]

Awards

Dennis Bergkamp was inducted into the English Hall of Fame in 2007. When playing in England, he only ever played for Arsenal.

English Football Hall of Fame

The following Arsenal players and managers have been inducted into the English Hall of Fame.

Ind.NameNationalityPos.YearsRef.
2003Alan Ball  EnglandMF1962–1983[116]
Herbert Chapman  EnglandMN1907–1934[116]
Pat Jennings  Northern IrelandGK1963–1985[116]
Tommy Lawton  EnglandFW1936–1955[116]
2004Tony Adams  EnglandDF1983–2002[117]
Viv Anderson  EnglandDF1974–1995[118]
2005Alex James  ScotlandFW1925–1937[119]
Ian Wright  EnglandFW1985–2000[120]
2006Liam Brady  Republic of IrelandMF1973–1990[121]
Arsène Wenger  FranceMN1996–2018[122]
2007Dennis Bergkamp  NetherlandsFW1995–2006[123]
2008Thierry Henry  FranceFW1999–2012[124]
Bertie Mee  EnglandMN1966–1976[125]
2009Cliff Bastin  EnglandMF1928–1947[126]
Frank McLintock  ScotlandDF1956–1977[127]
2010Charlie Buchan  EnglandFW1911–1928[128]
2014Patrick Vieira  FranceMF1996–2011[129]
2016David Seaman  EnglandGK1982–2004[130]
2017Bob Wilson  ScotlandGK1963–1974[131]
Arsène Wenger was the first manager inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame, with Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson.[132]

Premier League Hall of Fame

The following Arsenal players and manager have been inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame.

Ind.PlayerNationalityPos.Years
2021Dennis Bergkamp  NetherlandsFW1995–2006
Thierry Henry  FranceFW1999–2012
2022Patrick Vieira  FranceMF1996–2011
Ian Wright  EnglandFW1991–1999
2023Tony Adams  EnglandDF1992–2002
Petr Čech  Czech RepublicGK2004–2019
Arsène Wenger  FranceMN1996−2018

Last updated: 3 May 2023.
Source: List of Premier League Hall of Fame Inductees

Managerial records

Club records

Matches

Firsts

Record wins

7–0 against Standard Liège, UEFA Cup Winners' Cup second round, 3 November 1993
7–0 against Slavia Prague, UEFA Champions League group stage, 23 October 2007

Record defeats

0–6 against Sunderland, first round, 21 January 1893
0–6 against Derby County, first round, 28 January 1899
0–6 against West Ham United, third round, 5 January 1946
  • Record League Cup defeat: 0–5 against Chelsea, fourth round, 11 November 1998[144]
  • Record European defeat:[144]
0–4 against Milan, UEFA Champions League round of 16, 15 February 2012
1–5 against Bayern Munich, UEFA Champions League group stage, 4 November 2015
1–5 against Bayern Munich, UEFA Champions League Last 16, 15 February 2017
1–5 against Bayern Munich, UEFA Champions League Last 16, 7 March 2017

Record consecutive results

Arsenal hold several English football records, including the longest unbeaten sequence in the top flight, with 49. Arsenal scored in all 55 league matches from between 19 May 2001 to 30 November 2002 and the club also holds the longest unbeaten away sequence in league football with 27, from 5 April 2003 to 25 September 2004.[150]

  • Record consecutive wins: 14, from 12 September 1987 to 11 November 1987[149]
  • Record consecutive league wins: 14, from 10 February 2002 to 18 August 2002[145]
  • Record consecutive wins coming from behind: 4, from 11 February 2012 to 12 March 2012[151]
  • Record consecutive defeats: 8, from 12 February 1977 to 12 March 1977[149]
  • Record consecutive league defeats: 7, from 12 February 1977 to 12 March 1977[149]
  • Record consecutive draws: 6, from 3 March 1961 to 1 April 1961[149]
  • Record consecutive matches without a defeat: 28, from 9 April 2007 to 24 November 2007[149]
  • Record consecutive league matches without a defeat: 49, from 7 May 2003 to 16 October 2004[149]
  • Record consecutive matches without a win: 19, from 28 September 1912 to 15 January 1913[152]
  • Record consecutive league matches without a win: 23, from 28 September 1912 to 1 March 1913[149]

Goals

  • Most league goals scored in a season: 127 in 42 matches, First Division, 1930–31[153]
  • Fewest league goals scored in a season: 26 in 38 matches, First Division, 1912–13[154]
  • Most league goals conceded in a season: 86 in 42 matches, First Division, 1926–27 and 1927–28[155]
  • Fewest league goals conceded in a season: 17 in 38 matches, Premier League, 1998–99[156]

Points

  • Most points in a season:
    • Two points for a win: 66 in 42 matches, First Division, 1930–31[157]
    • Three points for a win: 90 in 38 matches, Premier League, 2003–04[158]
  • Fewest points in a season:
    • Two points for a win: 18 in 38 matches, First Division, 1912–13[154]
    • Three points for a win: 51 in 42 matches, Premier League, 1994–95[159]

Attendances

This section applies to attendances at Highbury, where Arsenal played their home matches from 1913 to 2006, the Emirates Stadium, the club's present home, and Wembley Stadium, which acted as Arsenal's home in the UEFA Champions League during the 1998–99 and 1999–2000 seasons.[67] Arsenal's attendance figures since the move to the Emirates Stadium have been measured by tickets sold.[160]

  • Highest attendance at Highbury: 73,295, against Sunderland, First Division, 9 March 1935
  • Lowest attendance at Highbury: 4,554, against Leeds United, First Division, 5 May 1966
  • Highest attendance at the Emirates Stadium: 60,383 against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Premier League, 2 November 2019
  • Lowest attendance at the Emirates Stadium: 25,909, against BATE Borisov, UEFA Europa League group stage, 7 December 2017
  • Highest attendance Wembley Stadium: 73,707, against Lens, UEFA Champions League group stage, 25 November 1998
  • Lowest attendance at Wembley Stadium: 71,227, against AIK, UEFA Champions League group stage, 22 September 1999

On 17 January 1948, a league-record attendance of 83,260 watched Manchester United play Arsenal at Maine Road.[161] All of the top three attendances in league football occurred at Arsenal games.[161]

European statistics

Arsenal have won two European honours: the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1970 and the Cup Winners' Cup in 1994. They also reached the final of the UEFA Cup in 2000 and the Europa League in 2019, and became the first London team to appear in a UEFA Champions League final in 2006.[162][163] Despite having never won the UEFA Champions League, Arsenal have set numerous records in the competition. Between the 1998–99 and 2016–17 seasons, they participated in nineteen successive editions, a record only surpassed in Europe by Real Madrid.[164] Goalkeeper Jens Lehmann kept ten consecutive clean sheets in the run-in to Arsenal's first UEFA Champions League final and the defence went 995 minutes until conceding a goal.[165] Arsenal were also the first British side to defeat Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund away from home, and both Milanese teams: Internazionale and Milan at the San Siro. They were also the first British side to win away to Juventus.[166]

Global records

In August 1928, Arsenal, alongside Chelsea, made history by becoming the first football clubs to wear numbered shirts.[167] A year earlier the first ever live radio commentary of a football match took place, between Arsenal and Sheffield United.[168] Arsenal played in the first match broadcast live on television, against their reserve counterparts in 1937 and have since participated in the world's first live 3D and interactive football matches, both with Manchester United.[169][170][171]

See also

Footnotes

References

General

  • Harris, Jeff (1995). Hogg, Tony (ed.). Arsenal Who's Who. London: Independent UK Sports. ISBN 1-899429-03-4.
  • Joy, Bernard (1952). Forward, Arsenal!. London: GCR Books Limited. ISBN 0-9559211-1-2.
  • McColl, Brian (2014). A Record of British Wartime Football. London: Lulu. ISBN 978-1-291-84089-6.
  • Peters, Paul (2014). Arsenal: The England Story. London: Lulu. ISBN 978-1-291-77255-5.
  • Soar, Phil; Tyler, Martin (2011). Arsenal 125: The Official Illustrated History 1886–2011. London: Hamlyn. ISBN 978-0-600-35871-8.

Specific