David Seaman played in some exceptional Arsenal teams on his way to establishing himself as one of the North London club’s greatest ever goalkeepers.
Seaman is arguably the greatest Arsenal keeper, with the Englishman narrowly edging the likes of Jens Lehmann and Pat Jennings in the all-time list of players that have worn the number one shirt for the Gunners.
The Yorkshireman retired from football at the age of 40 in 2004, a year after leaving Highbury.
He made over 550 appearances for the club, winning three league titles, four FA Cups and a League Cup, cementing himself in Arsenal folklore.
David Seaman crafts his dream Arsenal five-a-side team
Seaman remains well connected with Arsenal, regularly featuring in club content and often seen speaking about the Gunners in the media.
The charismatic figure was well respected and beloved in the dressing rooms he was a part of, whilst he protected his goal immaculately, deployed in between the sticks in some of the best Arsenal sides of the modern era.
Arsenal drew to PSV at the Emirates on Wednesday afternoon, and Seaman spoke to the club’s media team on YouTube in the build-up to the fixture.
Asked to name his dream five-a-side team, the former goalkeeper made a surprising omission which he apologised for.
“I’m in goal,” Seaman said.
“Now, the difficult choice that I have got is, do I go with Tony Adams or Patrick Vieira?
“And I think I’m going to go with Tony – sorry Patrick – as my defender, and then I’m going for all out attack. [Thierry] Henry, [Dennis] Bergkamp, [Ian] Wright. There you go, five-a-side team.”
Asked why he picked Adams over Vieira, he responded: “Because Tony is a defender. I just think me and Tony can take care of the back, let them take care of the forwards.”
While the functionality of a team with three forwards and no midfielders is questionable, Seaman’s outfit would certainly make for a fun watch.
Seaman’s Arsenal career in numbers
Seaman made exactly 563 appearances for Arsenal, providing the platform for the famous defence that included Adams, Steve Bould, Lee Dixon and Nigel Winterburn to thrive in front of him.
In a decorated 13-year spell in N5, the heroic shot-stopper was sent off just once, and kept a staggering 239 clean sheets across all competitions.
| Seaman’s Arsenal statistics (1990-2004) | |
| Appearances | 563 |
| Yellow Cards | 3 |
| Red Cards | 1 |
| Goals Conceded | 467 |
| Clean Sheets | 239 |
To have accumulated just four cards across his Arsenal career speaks volumes about Seaman’s composure and professionalism, while conceding well under a goal per game shows just how capable he was at keeping the ball out of his net.
He’ll forever be remembered for his time in North London, and will continue to be welcomed at the Emirates with open arms in the coming years.
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