Over the years, Arsenal – a club steeped in immense history – have boasted some top goal-getters. Ever since 1886, when a group of Woolwich Arsenal Armament Factory formed a team, the Gunners have been a staple part in English football.
Widely regarded as one of the best in England, the fact they’ve never tasted success on the European stage is merely a stain on their status.
Regardless, there are very few clubs in the world of football (especially on their own soil) that boast such an array of stars of yesteryear.
Thierry Henry automatically springs to mind – but the Frenchman is joined many on a pantheon of great goalscoring talents to have ever pulled on the red of Arsenal. Here, we go through the club’s five highest goalscorers of all time.
5. Jimmy Brain
Jimmy Brain is a striker in Arsenal folklore – and that’s despite him not being a household name among supporters. Prolific as they come, Brain netted 139 times in 232 appearances for the Gunners.
He is, as a result, among the club’s finest heavy hitters in front of goal and records state that he became the first Arsenal player to hit the 100-goal mark.
Joining from Welsh outfit Ton Petre in 1923, Brain hit the ground running with 12 goals in 28 league appearances in his maiden campaign in north London – and he then hit the 30-goal milestone in the following season.
If goals were the game, Brain was certainly the name for the four seasons he was Arsenal’s top goalscorer. He eventually joined Tottenham Hotspur in 1931 for £250,000 but is still remembered fondly on the red half.
4. John Radford
A name that is seldom involved in conversations, John Radford didn’t mind staying out of the spotlight so that his teammates could bask in the glory. His goalscoring rate – 149 strikes in 481 outings – is still memorable though.
Born in Yorkshire, Radford, who was signed by the Gunners as an apprentice in 1962, made up with his lack of flamboyancy with an incredibly reliable return in the final third.
The forward’s best campaign in the red of Arsenal came in 1970/71 during that Double-winning term. Radford scored 21 times in that very season and was often their first port of call when in need of a goal.
He flourished alongside a number of attacking partners – from Ray Kennedy to George Graham to Joe Baker – but Radford remained an important part as always.
3. Cliff Bastin
Cliff Bastin’s name is etched in Arsenal folklore and his record as the club’s top goalscorer of all time was only broken in 1997. His pomp was in the 1930s but his teriffic goal-getting knack is still remembered.
Bastin’s tally – 178 goals in as many as 395 – is a remarkable tally regardless of who asks.
That record is even more impressive when you understand that he spent the majority of days playing for the capital club as a left winger in Herbert Chapman’s side. Goalscoring was, understandably, not his primary objective.
Signed when he was just a teenager, Cliff Bastin had got his hands on a league title and the FA Cup by the time his 19th birthday came around. Whatever the weather, the Gunners could always count on the Exeter-born forward.
2. Ian Wright
By virtue of his made-for-consumption personality getting him a number of television gigs, many forget just how clinical Ian Wright was in the final third during his 288-outing Arsenal spell. In that time, he chalked up 185 strikes.
Doubtlessly a living legend among supporters, the English talisman’s seven-year stint between 1991 and 1998 saw him score goals at an alarming rate.
Ian Wright joined the club on a club-record fee of £2.5 million and that lucrative move certainly paid dividends come the end of his Arsenal career given how well he performed when tasked with scoring.
At Arsenal, the striker won a number of trophies – including the Premier League title in 1997/98 – and is fondly revered as one of the best to ever do it.
1. Thierry Henry
None other than Thierry Henry has scored the most goals for Arsenal – and that tally stands at 228 in a total of 377 outings. The Frenchman arrived from Juventus in 1999 as an eager left winger but Arsene Wenger had a clear plan in place.
Henry would become his centre-forward, one that would find the back of the net with relative ease.
Signed as a replacement for Nicolas Anelka, few foresaw the influence Henry would have on proceedings at Highbury and then the Emirates Stadium in 2005.
Thierry Henry had all manner of finishes in his locker: from deft dinks over a number of goalkeepers to a mazy run resulting in a tidy effort. Not only is the World Cup winner the highest goalscorer but also the club’s best player of all time.
| Position | Name | Total goals | Total games |
| 1. | Thierry Henry | 228 | 377 |
| 2. | Ian Wright | 185 | 288 |
| 3. | Cliff Bastin | 178 | 396 |
| 4. | John Radford | 149 | 481 |
| 5. | Jimmy Brain | 139 | 232 |
