List of Arsenal F.C. records and statistics

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.

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. In 1914, the club's name was shortened to Arsenal F.C. after moving to Highbury a year earlier. 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. 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. 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. The club remained in the Football League until 1992, when its First Division was superseded as English football's top level by the newly formed Premier League, of which they were an inaugural member.

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 26 December 2020.

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. Their first national major honour came in 1930, when they won the FA Cup. The club enjoyed further success in the 1930s, winning another FA Cup and five Football League First Division titles. 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. 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. To mark the achievement, a special gold version of the Premier League trophy was commissioned and presented to the club the following season. Their most recent success came in 2020, when newcomer Mikel Arteta led the club to a 5–4 victory on penalties over Liverpool to secure their 16th Community Shield title.

Arsenal's honours and achievements include the following:

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 (9): 1925–26, 1931–32, 1972–73, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2015–16
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 (16): 1930, 1931, 1933, 1934, 1938, 1948, 1953, 1991 (shared), 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2020
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

County FAs

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

Other

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

Pre-season

Winners (1): 2022
Winners (6): 2007, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2017, 2022 (record)
Runners-up (2): 2014, 2019
  • FAW Toyota Cup
Runners-up (1): 2017
  • Audi Football Summit Shanghai
Winners (1): 2017
Winners (2): 2013, 2016
Runners-up (1): 2012
Winners (1): 2016
Winners (1): 2015
  • New York Cup
Runners-up (1): 2014
Winners (1): 2013
  • Indonesia Cup
Winners (1): 2013
  • Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust Challenge Cup
Winners (1): 2012 (shared)
  • Malaysia Cup
Winners (2): 2011, 2012
  • Markus Liebherr Memorial Cup
Winners (1): 2012
Runners-up (1): 2011
Winners (3): 2005, 2007, 2008
  • Herbert Chapman Memorial Trophy
Winners (1): 2008
  • Maurice Lacroix Trophy
Winners (1): 2002
Winners (3): 1988, 1989, 1994 (shared record)
Runners-up (2): 1990, 1991
Winners (1): 1993
  • Caltex Cup
Winners (2): 1990, 1991 (record)
Winners (1): 1989
  • Bielefeld Tournament
Winners (1): 1984
  • City of Edinburgh Cup
Winners (1): 1941
  • Norfolk & Norwich Hospital Cup
Winners (2): 1914, 1935
  • Northampton Hospital Charity Shield
Winners (3): 1930, 1931, 1932
  • Southend Hospital Cup
Winners (2): 1920–21, 1921–22
  • Metropolitan Hospital Cup
Winners (1): 1920–21

Player records

Appearances

Most appearances

Competitive matches only, includes appearances as substitute. Numbers in brackets indicate goals scored.

Rank Player Years Leaguea FA Cup League Cup Europe Otherb Total Total including Centenary Trophy
1 Republic of Ireland David O'Leary 1975–1993 558 (11) 70 (1) 70 (2) 21 (0) 3 (0) 722 (14) 724 (14)
2 England Tony Adams 1983–2002 504 (32) 54 (8) 59 (5) 48 (3) 4 (0) 669 (48) 672 (49)
3 England George Armstrong 1961–1977 500 (53) 60 (10) 35 (3) 26 (2) 0 (0) 621 (68)
3 England Lee Dixon 1988–2002 458 (25) 54 (1) 45 (0) 57 (2) 5 (0) 619 (28) 621 (28)
5 England Nigel Winterburn 1987–2000 440 (8) 47 (0) 49 (3) 43 (1) 5 (0) 584 (12) 587 (12)
6 England David Seaman 1990–2003 405 (0) 48 (0) 38 (0) 69 (0) 4 (0) 564 (0)
7 Northern Ireland Pat Rice 1964–1980 397 (12) 67 (1) 36 (0) 27 (0) 1 (0) 528 (13)
8 England Peter Storey 1965–1977 391 (9) 51 (4) 37 (2) 22 (2) 0 (0) 501 (17)
9 England John Radford 1964–1976 379 (111) 44 (15) 34 (12) 24 (11) 0 (0) 481 (149)
10 England Peter Simpson 1964–1978 370 (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. Henry was Arsenal's leading goalscorer for seven consecutive seasons, from 1999–2000 to 2005–06.

Competitive matches only. Numbers in brackets indicate appearances made.

Rank Player Years Leaguea
Games/Goals
FA Cup
Games/Goals
League Cup
Games/Goals
Europe
Games/Goals
Otherb
Games/Goals
Total
Games/Goals
1 France Thierry Henry 1999–2007, 2012 258 / 175 26 / 8 3 / 2 86 / 42 4 / 1 377 / 228
2 England Ian Wright 1991–1998 221 / 128 16 / 12 29 / 29 21 / 15 1 / 1 288 / 185
3 England Cliff Bastin 1929–1947 350 / 150 42 / 26 0 / 0 0 / 0 4 / 2 396 / 178
4 England John Radford 1964–1976 379 / 111 44 / 15 34 / 12 24 / 11 0 / 0 481 / 149
5 England Jimmy Brain 1923–1931 204 / 125 27 / 14 0 / 0 0 / 0 1 / 0 232 / 139
England Ted Drake 1934–1945 168 / 124 14 / 12 0 / 0 0 / 0 2 / 3 184 / 139
7 England Doug Lishman 1948–1956 226 / 125 17 / 10 0 / 0 0 / 0 1 / 2 244 / 137
8 Netherlands Robin van Persie 2004–2012 193 / 96 17 / 10 12 / 6 53 / 20 2 / 0 278 / 132
9 England Joe Hulme 1926–1938 333 / 107 39 / 17 0 / 0 0 / 0 2 / 1 374 / 125
10 England David Jack 1928–1934 181 / 113 25 / 10 0 / 0 0 / 0 2 / 1 208 / 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

A black-and-white photograph of footballer Caesar Jenkyns, wearing a vertically-stripped shirt.
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.

Transfers

For consistency, fees in the record transfer tables below are all sourced from the London Evening Standard'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

Nicolas Pépé, the club's current record signing
Rank Fee Paid to For Date Notes Ref.
1 £72m France Lille Ivory Coast Nicolas Pépé 1 August 2019
2 £56m Germany Borussia Dortmund Gabon Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 31 January 2018 A further £5m in add-ons.
3 £50m England Brighton & Hove Albion England Ben White 30 July 2021
4 £45m Spain Atlético Madrid Ghana Thomas Partey 5 October 2020
£45m France Lyon France Alexandre Lacazette 5 July 2017 A further £7m in add-ons.
£45m England Manchester City Brazil Gabriel Jesus 4 July 2022

Record transfer fees received

Rank Fee Received from For Date Ref.
1 £40m England Liverpool England Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain 31 August 2017
2 £35m Spain Barcelona Spain Cesc Fàbregas 15 August 2011
£35m England Everton Nigeria Alex Iwobi 8 August 2019
4 £25m Spain Barcelona Netherlands Marc Overmars 28 July 2000
£25m England Manchester City Togo Emmanuel Adebayor 19 July 2009
£25m England Manchester City France Samir Nasri 24 August 2011

Premier League Hall of Fame

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

Premier League Hall of Fame
Player Pos. Years Achievements Inducted
France Thierry Henry FW 1999–2007, 2012 Champion
Golden Boot (all-time record)
Player of the Season (joint all-time record)
Selected in the Overseas Team of the Decade
Selected in the 20–Year Anniversary Team
2021
Netherlands Dennis Bergkamp FW 1995–2006 Champion 2021
France Patrick Vieira MF 1996–2005, 2010–2011 Champion
Player of the Season
Selected in the Overall and Overseas Team of the Decade
2022
England Ian Wright FW 1991–1999 Champion 2022

Last updated: 16 August 2022.
Source: List of Premier League Hall of Fame Inductees

a Also played for Manchester City
b Also played for West Ham

Managerial records

  • First full-time manager: Thomas Mitchell managed Arsenal from March 1897 to 1898.
  • Longest-serving manager: Arsène Wenger – 21 years, 224 days (1 October 1996 to 13 May 2018)
  • Shortest tenure as manager: Pat Rice – 2 weeks, 3 days (13 September 1996 to 30 September 1996)
  • Highest win percentage: Pat Rice (caretaker), 75.00%
  • Lowest win percentage: Steve Burtenshaw, 27.27%

Club records

Matches

Firsts

Record wins

  • Record league win: 12–0 against Loughborough, Second Division, 12 March 1900
  • Record FA Cup win: 12–0 against Ashford United, first qualifying round, 14 October 1893
  • Record League Cup win: 7–0 against Leeds United, second round, 4 September 1979
  • Record European win:
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

  • Record league defeat: 0–8 against Loughborough, Second Division, 12 December 1896
  • Record FA Cup defeat:
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
  • Record European defeat:
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.

  • Record consecutive wins: 14, from 12 September 1987 to 11 November 1987
  • Record consecutive league wins: 14, from 10 February 2002 to 18 August 2002
  • Record consecutive wins coming from behind: 4, from 11 February 2012 to 12 March 2012
  • Record consecutive defeats: 8, from 12 February 1977 to 12 March 1977
  • Record consecutive league defeats: 7, from 12 February 1977 to 12 March 1977
  • Record consecutive draws: 6, from 3 March 1961 to 1 April 1961
  • Record consecutive matches without a defeat: 28, from 9 April 2007 to 24 November 2007
  • Record consecutive league matches without a defeat: 49, from 7 May 2003 to 16 October 2004
  • Record consecutive matches without a win: 19, from 28 September 1912 to 15 January 1913
  • Record consecutive league matches without a win: 23, from 28 September 1912 to 1 March 1913
  • Record consecutive league games scored in: 55, 19 May 2001-30 November 2002
  • Record consecutive away league games without defeat: 27, 5 April 2003-25 September 2004

Goals

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

Points

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

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. Arsenal's attendance figures since the move to the Emirates Stadium have been measured by tickets sold.

  • 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. All of the top three attendances in league football occurred at Arsenal games.

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. 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. 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. 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.

Global records

In August 1928, Arsenal, alongside Chelsea, made history by becoming the first football clubs to wear numbered shirts. A year earlier the first ever live radio commentary of a football match took place, between Arsenal and Sheffield United. 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.

Footnotes

  1. ^ For a record of all matches participated in by Arsenal, see the AISA Arsenal History Society's line-ups database. For corroboration, multiple other sources exist.
  2. ^ Although not organised by UEFA, it is considered to be a major honor by FIFA and UEFA took over the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1971 and reformed it into the UEFA Cup. As the official precursor to the UEFA Europa League, it is included here under UEFA.
  3. ^ The Sheriff of London Charity Shield was replaced by the FA Charity Shield (now FA Community Shield) in 1908. Although it is the official precursor to the FA Community Shield, it is not included here under The Football Association because Arsenal only won the fundraising matches that followed the Sheriff of London Charity Shield's 1931 revival.
  4. ^ Laurie Scott and George Eastham were called up to England squads (1950, and 1962 and 1966, respectively), but did not play.
  5. ^ George Eastham was retrospectively awarded a medal for being a non-playing member of England's 1966 World Cup-winning side.
  6. ^ Unusually, Arsenal were forced to play two matches on the same day on 12 December 1896; while the first team took on Loughborough in the League, the reserves played Leyton in the FA Cup. The irony is that the reserves won handsomely, 5–0, whilst the seniors suffered Arsenal's record league defeat. Additionally, Arsenal lost 0–9 to Chelsea in a wartime London Combination match on 21 April 1916, but this is not counted as an official first-class match.

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