Arsenal have had a lot of English players in their history, and several stars went on to become key players for their country.
Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice helped England reach back-to-back finals in the European Championships, in what was one of the most productive eras of international football in the history of the country.
A number of former Arsenal stars earned caps after impressing under Mikel Arteta, including Eddie Nketiah, Emile Smith Rowe and Aaron Ramsdale, but none appear close to a recall.
Some of Arsenal’s greatest-ever players were England Internationals, but several were overlooked for squads despite impressing at Highbury Stadium and the Emirates, and only one has tasted success with England, as George Eastham was part of the 1966 World Cup-winning squad.
We have now listed the Arsenal players with the most England caps, ranked by the caps they earned whilst playing for the Gunners.
Kenny Sansom – 77 England Caps
Kenny Sansom is one of the greatest left-backs Arsenal and England have ever seen, and he earned an astonishing 77 international caps between 1980 and 1988.
Sansom was already an England international when he joined Arsenal from Crystal Palace in 1980, and in total has 86 caps for his country.
When former Arsenal target Diego Maradona scored one of his most iconic goals in the 1986 World Cup, dribbling past several England players before scoring, Sansom was one of the defenders who found himself powerless to stop the Argentine striker.
David Seaman – 72 England Caps
Arsenal goalkeeping legend David Seaman was the number one for his club and country for an extended period, earning all of his 72 caps whilst contracted to the Gunners, with his final one coming in October 2002 against Macedonia.
Seaman is England’s second-most capped goalkeeper, behind Peter Shilton, and is arguably the greatest in Arsenal’s history.
Tony Adams – 66 England Caps
Arsenal’s greatest-ever captain was also the only player to ever captain England in three different decades, between 1988 and 2000.
Tony Adams only ever played for Arsenal, and his 66 England caps mostly came with the legendary centre-back wearing the armband for his country.
Ashley Cole – 52 England Caps at Arsenal
Ashley Cole went from hero to zero as he made a controversial move to Chelsea in 2006, despite being one of Arsenal’s greatest academy products.
Cole was arguably England’s best-ever left-back, and he earned 52 caps between 2001 and 2006. He continued to be a key player for his country after leaving Arsenal, and he ended his career with 107 international caps.
Theo Walcott – 47 England Caps
There was a lot of surprise when 17-year-old Theo Walcott was included in England’s squad for the 2006 World Cup, just six months after he joined Arsenal.
Walcott went on to earn 47 England caps, scoring eight goals, and also appeared in Euro 2012, with injury keeping him out of the 2014 World Cup.
Bukayo Saka – 43 England Caps
Saka has become a hugely important player for club and country, and the winger is well on his way to achieving what a lot of Arsenal greats could not for England.
The 23-year-old already has 43 England Caps, scoring 12 goals, and this included a crucial equaliser in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 against Switzerland.
The attacker missed a penalty in the shootout of the Euro 2020 final, but has since recovered to become one of the best players in his National Team squad, and the sixth-highest Arsenal player when it comes to England caps.
Jack Wilshere – 34 England Caps
Jack Wilshere was tipped to become Arsenal and England’s next greatest midfielder, but injuries derailed his career before he retired at a young age.
Wilshere still earned 34 England Caps, with a stunning brace against Slovakia the highlight of his International career.
Martin Keown – 34 England Caps at Arsenal
Martin Keown was one of Arsenal’s greatest defenders, but he was often overlooked at international level, with the centre-back excluded by Terry Venables for a significant period.
Keown made 43 appearances for England overall, with 34 of those coming during his two spells at Arsenal.
Ian Wright – 27 England Caps at Arsenal
Arsenal legend Ian Wright was one of the greatest strikers England has ever produced, but he was playing in an era with the likes of Alan Shearer and Teddy Sheringham competing in the National Team.
Despite managing to score 324 goals at club level, he only managed nine for England, which came in just 33 caps, a low figure for a player of his stature.
27 of Wright’s England caps came whilst he was at Arsenal, with the rest earned during his time at Crystal Palace.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 27 England Caps at Arsenal
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was another promising talent alongside Wilshere who saw his career derailed by injuries.
Chamberlain did amass 35 England caps despite never nailing down a starting role at Arsenal, with 27 of these coming during his time at the Emirates.
The Englishman joined Liverpool in 2017, and initially impressed, but injuries prevented him from truly succeeding at Anfield.
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