Arsenal are one of England’s most successful football clubs and have seen numerous prolific players shoot to the top of their all-time record top goalscorers list.
From Ian Wright to John Radford, several players have left their mark on the history of Arsenal since the club’s inception in 1886.
Eight Englishmen also make the top 10 of their all-time top goalscorers list and it will prove to be a difficult group to break into. But Bukayo Saka is hot on their heels after graduating from Arsenal’s academy to become a pivotal first-team player.
In recent years, it also looked as if Theo Walcott or Olivier Giroud would etch their names into Arsenal’s record goalscorers list before departing Emirates Stadium. Gunners legend Dennis Bergkamp even finished his Arsenal tenure agonisingly close to the top 10 with 120 goals.
So, with that in mind, Arsenal Insider has compiled a list of the top 10 all-time record goalscorers in the entire history of Arsenal Football Club to date…
10) David Jack
- Goals: 124
- Appearances: 208
- 100th goal game: 156
- Years at Arsenal: 1928-1934
David Jack proved to be a crucial cog in the Arsenal teams that dominated the 1930s. Yet there were a lot of question marks when he was signed for a then-record transfer fee of £10,890 given the inside forward was already 29 years of age.
But Jack silenced the critics as he became an instant hit at Highbury, finishing his first campaign as their top scorer with 25 goals in 31 games. Manager Herbert Chapman even went as far as saying that he was ‘one of the best bargains I ever made’.
9) Joe Hulme
- Goals: 125
- Appearances: 374
- 100th goal game: 307
- Years at Arsenal: 1926-1938
Joe Hulme starred for Arsenal in what is today’s right-wing position, although it was labelled as an outside right back in his day.
Combining well with Cliff Bastin after signing for the Gunners in 1926, he also earned nine England caps in the years that followed.
In a strange move years after his Arsenal career, Hulme went on to manage Tottenham Hotspur for four years before becoming a journalist.
8) Robin van Persie
- Goals: 132
- Appearances: 278
- 100th goal game: 238
- Years at Arsenal: 2004-2012
Injuries impacted much of Robin van Persie’s early career at Arsenal but when he was good, the Dutchman was really good.
Joining from Feyenoord in 2004, the left-footed striker was even earmarked as the natural replacement for Bergkamp in Arsene Wenger’s Highbury heroes.
But it was not until the 2011/12 season that Van Persie exploded into life, scoring 37 goals and registering 13 assists on his way to the Golden Boot. The PFA and FWA also named the forward as their Player of the Season before he controversially joined Manchester United.
7) Doug Lishman
- Goals: 137
- Appearances: 244
- 100th goal game: 163
- Years at Arsenal: 1948-1956
Doug Lishman has one of the most impressive tallies on this list with a goal almost every other game during his time at Arsenal.
The striker was also Arsenal’s top goalscorer for five seasons running from 1951 until 1955.
Away from football, he also served in the Royal Marine Commandos during the Second World War and took part in the Walcheren Island landing in the Netherlands.
5) Ted Drake
- Goals: 139
- Appearances: 184
- 100th goal game: 108
- Years at Arsenal: 1934-1945
Ted Drake was pivotal to the dominant Arsenal sides of the 1930s. In their title triumph of 1934/35, he even notched a staggering 34 goals – including all seven in a 7-1 victory over Aston Villa.
Drake also scored the winning goal on his England debut against Italy in November 1934. Interestingly, the game even took place at Highbury and was dubbed, ‘The Battle of Highbury’.
5) Jimmy Brain
- Goals: 139
- Appearances: 232
- 100th goal game: 144
- Years at Arsenal: 1923-1931
Jimmy Brain was the first-ever player to score 100 goals for Arsenal and his total tally of 139 still secures him a place among their all-time record goalscorers.
Having been initially courted by Tottenham, Brain ultimately opted to join Arsenal in 1923. He later broke another club record in the 1925/26 season when he smashed the 30-goal barrier with 34 league strikes, which remains the third-most prolific individual season in the club’s history.
4) John Radford
- Goals: 149
- Appearances: 481
- 100th goal game: 306
- Years at Arsenal: 1964-1976
After initially joining Arsenal as an apprentice in 1962, John Radford became a professional footballer two years later. His efforts thereafter ensure the centre-forward is remembered fondly in N5 for his contribution to their golden years of the early 1970s.
What makes Radford’s tally so impressive is the fact that he was far from a flamboyant player in his era, but rather the striker’s work ethic set him apart.
Perhaps the best example of why Radford was such a special player for Arsenal is the 1971 FA Cup final. Eddie Kelly and Charlie George made the headlines that day by scoring, but it was Radford who assisted both of their goals.
3) Cliff Bastin
- Goals: 178
- Appearances: 396
- 100th goal game: 174
- Years at Arsenal: 1929-1947
Bastin held Arsenal’s all-time top goalscorer record for over 60 years with his 178 strikes in 396 games.
After joining the club at the age of just 17, Bastin enjoyed his heyday in the 1930s whilst mainly operating as an outside left winger.
Bastin even won a Division One title, the FA Cup and earned an England cap by the age of 19, making him the youngest player to achieve the hat-trick.
2) Ian Wright
- Goals: 185
- Appearances: 288
- 100th goal game: 143
- Years: 1991-1998
Arsenal fans became so enamoured with the impact that Wright made in N5 that he remains known affectionately as ‘Wrighty’ to this day.
His knack for somehow always finding the back of a net was very much appreciated by Gooners and his footballing legacy lives on to this day.
Wright was even inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2005 and later the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2022.
READ MORE: All Arsenal legends in the Premier League Hall of Fame from Henry to Wenger
1) Thierry Henry
- Goals: 228
- Appearances: 377
- 100th goal game: 181
- Years at Arsenal: 1999-2007, 2012
Thierry Henry became Arsenal’s all-time top goalscorer of all-time on October 18, 2005 after scoring a brace in the Champions League against Sparta Prague. The Frenchman both equalled and surpassed Wright’s record of 185 goals on the same night.
Wenger initially signed Henry from Juventus as a left-winger but converted him into one of the most lethal strikers the Premier League has ever seen. By the time Henry departed north London for the second time after a brief spell back on loan, he had 228 goals in 377 games.
Henry was also a vital part of the Invincibles side of the 2003/04 season and even won the Premier League Golden Boot four times. He joined Alan Shearer on the list of players who have won the accolade three times in a row when Henry did so between 2003/04 and 2005/06.
Speaking after Henry broke Arsenal’s all-time top goalscorer record, Wenger could not speak highly enough of his legacy within the game, too.
“It’s really unexplainable that a guy who is not only interested in scoring goals should score so many,” Wenger said. “He’ll not only have a place in the history of Arsenal but in the history of football.
“He’s still just 28 and Ian Wright was 33 or 34 when he broke Cliff Bastin’s record. Henry has a lot of time in front of him and there is a lot more to come from him.”
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