LONDON - MAY 17: Thierry Henry of Arsenal shows off his Golden Boot and Barclaycard Premiership Player of the Year Award during the Martin Keown Testimonial match between Arsenal and England XI at Highbury, on May 17, 2004 in London. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
Arsenal: 10 best individual player seasons in the Premier League
by Jocelyn Taub
Cesc Fabregas Establishes Himself in Arsenal’s Midfield – 2007/2008
Cesc Fabregas joined the Arsenal Academy in 2003 at the age of 16 as the former Barcelona La Masia youth saw London as a better opportunity to prove himself.
Fabregas made his Arsenal debut in a League Cup match versus Rotherham United in October 2003, and at 16 years and 177 days old, he became Arsenal’s youngest ever player.
The Spaniard established himself as a first-team regular during the 2006/07 season where he provided 13 assists – the second-most in the league. He ended the campaign by being voted Arsenal’s Player of the Season.
The 2007/08 campaign saw Fabregas take a more central role in the Gunners’ lineup. With the departure of Thierry Henry to Barcelona, the club needed a leader.
He had a strong start and was voted Player of the Month by Arsenal fans in August, September, and October. He also received the same honor from the league in September.
In November 2008 William Gallas was stripped of the armband for criticizing teammates, prompting Fabregas to be appointed the team’s new captain.
Fabregas finished the season with 13 goals in all competitions: including six in the Champions League. At the end of the year, he won several honors, including:
- PFA Young Player of the Year
- PFA Team of the Year
- Arsenal Player of the Season (for the second straight year).
He was also nominated for PFA Player of the Season but lost out to Cristiano Ronaldo. Not a bad guy to be in the same category as.
third goal</a> that day was is worth taking a look at as it stands as one of <em>the </em>great Arsenal hat-tricks, with Bergkamp displaying incredible skill in controlling the ball and finesse. It is his personal favorite from his Arsenal career and was later voted the Goal of the Season.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In addition to his goals, Bergkamp created a solid partnership with strike partner Ian Wright and often played provider: his 12 assists in 97/98 were the second-most in the league that season.</p>
<p>Bergkamp suffered an injury in late April and was ruled out for the rest of the year, including the Gunners’ 2-0 FA Cup victory over Newcastle. Despite this setback he was the team’s top scorer with 16 league goals and 22 in all competitions. He also received numerous honors for his play that season. These included:</p>
<ul>
<li>Premier League Player of the Month – August and September 1997</li>
<li>PFA Players’ Player of the Year</li>
<li>FWA Footballer of the Year</li>
<li>BBC Goal of the Season</li>
</ul>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/03/28/arsenal-10-best-player-seasons/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> The Captain of the Invincibles </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—></p><hr id="pagebreak"><p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-111658 size-large" title="Arsenal" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/03/28/arsenal-10-best-player-seasons/3/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1129748789-850x560.jpeg" alt="" width="590" height="389"></p>
<h2>Vieira Captains Arsenal to a Title and an Undefeated Season – 2003/2004</h2>
<p>Patrick Vieira joined Arsenal from Milan in 1996 for a transfer fee of £3.5m in what was to be the beginning of a mini French revolution in North London as Arsene Wenger replaced Bruce Rioch as manager that October.</p>
<p>At 6ft 4in, Vieira was an imposing physical presence. He went on to become one of the best midfielders in world football with the ability to win battles and intelligently distribute the ball, quickly establishing himself as a regular in the Gunners’ starting XI despite everyone believing he was a centre-back.</p>
<p>He spent nine seasons in north London and his list of accomplishments includes three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, and three Community Shields. He was also the captain for the 2003/2004 undefeated Premier League Champions: The Invincibles.</p>
<p>During the 2003/2004 season Arsenal won 26, drew 12, and lost none with Vieira featuring in 29 of these matches. While Vieira was more of a defensive presence, when he did score goals, they were generally very special.</p>
<p>In February 2004 at Stamford Bridge, he equalized in the 14th minute after an early Eidur Gudjohnsen goal as Arsenal went on to win the match 2-1, completing a league double over their London rivals.</p>
<p>The Gunners headed to White Hart Lane on April 25, 2004, for the north London derby with the team needed a single point to clinch the title. Vieira scored in the third minute in an eventual 2-2 draw as the Frenchman and his teammates celebrated by lifting the trophy at the home of their most bitter rivals.</p>
<p>Vieira finished the campaign in dramatic fashion as he netted the winning and final goal of the ‘Invincible’ season, against Leicester City in a 2-1 victory at Highbury.</p>
<p>Vieira was unsurprisingly named to the PFA Team of the year for 2003/2004 and, in all, he received this honor for six successive seasons between 1999 and 2004. He is still recognized as one of the best defensive midfielders that Arsenal has ever had.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/03/28/arsenal-10-best-player-seasons/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> There's a new Captain in town </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-111423 size-large" title="Arsenal" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/03/28/arsenal-10-best-player-seasons/3/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1202831981-850x560.jpeg" alt="" width="590" height="389"></p>
<h2>Aubameyang Wins his First Trophy as Arsenal Captain – 2019-2020</h2>
<p>When Arsenal signed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang with a record £56m transfer fee in January 2018 many critics opposed the move. Not only was the price tag high, but the striker had some disciplinary issues that led to three suspensions during his time with Borussia Dortmund. He was considered a troublemaker.</p>
<p>Luckily for Arsenal, they have not seen that side of Aubameyang at all. Instead, he’s become a positive influence on the team and has scored<em> a lot</em> of goals.</p>
<p>After his signing, he made 13 appearances and scored ten goals while providing four assists to firmly hit the ground running.</p>
<p>In his first full season with the club – 2018-2019 – Aubameyang finished joint winner of the Golden Boot along with Liverpool’s Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah on 22 goals.</p>
<p>Aubameyang carried this form into the following campaign where he was named Premier League Player of the Month in September with five goals, including game-tying strikes against Tottenham and Manchester United.</p>
<p>In November, then-manager Unai Emery <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/03/28/arsenal-10-best-player-seasons/3/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/03/16/arsenal-aubameyang-question-captaincy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">named Aubameyang club captain</a> after taking the armband from Granit Xhaka.</p>
<p>Following the restart of the league after the shutdown for COVID-19, Auba scored a brace against Norwich City. The first strike was his 50th for the club which broke Thierry Henry’s record for the fastest player to reach 50 Arsenal goals. Henry had done it in 83 matches, while Aubameyang accomplished this feat in 79.</p>
<p>Towards the end of the season, Aubameyang’s best was on full display at Wembley Stadium. In July, the Gunners met Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final with Aubameyang scoring both goals in Arsenal’s 2-0 victory.</p>
<p>He came through for his team again in the final versus Chelsea after Christian Pulisic had given the Blues an early one-goal advantage, with Auba equalizing in the 28th minute from the penalty spot. He then scored a magnificent chip in the second half to secure the club’s 14th FA Cup 2-1. It was his first trophy as captain of Arsenal.</p>
<p>Topping off his excellent season, Aubameyang came in second for the Golden Boot with 22 goals to Jamie Vardy’s 23. <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/03/28/arsenal-10-best-player-seasons/3/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/09/09/pierre-emerick-aubameyang-pfa-arsenal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">He was also named to the PFA Team of the Year</a>.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/03/28/arsenal-10-best-player-seasons/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> The Chilean arrives from Barcelona </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><h2>Alexis Sanchez Runs Riot for Arsenal – 2016/2017</h2>
<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-111650 size-large" title="Arsenal" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/03/28/arsenal-10-best-player-seasons/3/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F875716656-850x560.jpeg" alt="" width="590" height="389"></p>
<p>Alexis Sánchez joined Arsenal from Barcelona in the summer of 2014 with a lot of buzz and excitement. It didn’t take him long to settle in and he quickly became an important part of Arsenal’s attack.</p>
<p>In his first season with the Gunners, he scored an impressive 25 goals in 52 appearances in all competitions. This included a stunning goal in Arsenal’s 4-0 FA Cup final victory over Aston Villa and he easily won Arsenal’s Player of the Season award for 2014/2015.</p>
<p>Sanchez performed well in his second season in the Premier League but missed several matches due to injury. Despite this setback, he finished the 2015/2016 campaign with 17 goals in 41 total appearances.</p>
<p>Sanchez was just getting warmed up, as his best season in London would come in 2016/2017. After winning the Copa América with Chile and being named the tournament’s best player, he returned to London ready to get going again.</p>
<p>His regular goal output included a brace in a 4-1 win at Sunderland in October, where he recorded his 50th goal in his 106th appearance for the club. In December he ran the show at West Ham with a hat-trick and an assist in his side’s 5-1 win. By Christmas, he had already scored 13 times.</p>
<p>The Chilean also played an integral role in Arsenal’s FA Cup run. He scored in extra time to give the Gunners’ a 2–1 win over Manchester City in the semi-finals at Wembley before giving his side an early lead in the final against Chelsea with a goal in the 4th minute. The Gunners went on to win the club’s 13th FA Cup 2-1.</p>
<p>He finished the season with 30 goals and 17 assists in all competitions and was named Arsenal Player of the Season: 2016–17 for the second time.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/03/28/arsenal-10-best-player-seasons/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> The Dutchman takes center stage </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-111424 size-large" title="Arsenal" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/03/28/arsenal-10-best-player-seasons/3/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F135453451-850x560.jpeg" alt="" width="590" height="389"></p>
<h2>Robin van Persie Cements His Place in Arsenal History – 2011/2012</h2>
<p>Before he became known as Judas and left Arsenal for Manchester United, Robin van Persie spent eight seasons with the Gunners. Following the departure of Cesc Fabregas in the summer of 2011, he was named captain.</p>
<p>The Dutchman started the 2011/2012 season strong and scored his 100th goal for the club against Bolton in September and, in doing so, he became the 17th player to achieve the century mark for Arsenal.</p>
<p>In October, Van Persie and his teammates visited Stamford Bridge. The striker scored a hat-trick to lead his side to a 5-3 win, later being named the Premier League Player of the Month for October.</p>
<p>Then in November, Van Persie helped Arsenal reach the knockout stages of the Champions League. He scored both goals in the Gunners’ 2-1 defeat of Borussia Dortmund to seal the top spot in their group.</p>
<p>Van Persie scored his 35th goal of the 2011 calendar year on New Year’s Eve in a 1-0 win against Queens Park Rangers. His 35 left him one short of Alan Shearer’s Premier League record of 36 set in 1995 – Harry Kane has since been broken the record with 39 goals in the calendar year 2017.</p>
<p>In February, Van Persie scored another hat-trick and registered two assists in a 7-1 win over Blackburn, with his tally taking him past fellow Dutchman Dennis Bergkamp into tenth place on Arsenal’s all-time scorer list.</p>
<p>The striker sealed his iconic status in late February when he led the Gunners in a north London derby fightback. Tottenham took an early two-goal lead, but Arsenal equalized before half-time with Van Persie scoring the second before he set up Theo Walcott to give his side a 3-2 lead in an eventual 5-2 victory.</p>
<p>Van Persie received many accolades at the end of the campaign, including the Golden Boot Award with 30 goals. He was also named:</p>
<ul>
<li>PFA Players’ Player of the Year</li>
<li>PFA Team of the Year</li>
<li>Football Writers Association Player of the Year</li>
</ul>
<p>Sadly, this was his last contribution to Arsenal as the “little boy” inside of him told him to sign for the enemy, Manchester United.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/03/28/arsenal-10-best-player-seasons/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> The legend and his impact on the Invincibles </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_104791" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-104791 size-large" title="Arsenal" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/03/28/arsenal-10-best-player-seasons/3/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F2919983-850x560.jpeg" alt="" width="590" height="389" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/2919983-850x560.jpeg 850w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/2919983-768x508.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 590px) 100vw, 590px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM: Arsenal’s Thierry Henry (R) celebrates his goal as keeper David James of Manchester City despairs during their FA Premier League clash at Highbury in London,01 February 2004.Arsenal defeated Manchester City 2-1. AFP PHOTO / ODD ANDERSEN – – No telcos,website use to description of license with FAPL on, www.faplweb.com – – (Photo credit should read ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images)</p>
</div>
</div>
<h2>The Magic of Arsenal’s Thierry Henry – 2003/2004</h2>
<p>Thierry Henry is the greatest player to ever play for Arsenal. Therefore it’s almost impossible to pick out one season over another. It makes sense therefore to look at his contributions to one of the best sides to ever play in the Premier League; the league champions and unbeaten Arsenal Invincibles of 2003/2004.</p><div class="widget fs_ads"> <div class="fs_ad_widget-ad" style="margin:0 auto; width: 300px;"> <div class="fs-ll-ad" data-ad-type="minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet" data-vendor="minutemedia">
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<p>Henry only missed one of Arsenal’s league matches that year and recorded 30 league goals. Including his goals in the Community Shield, FA Cup, and Champions League his season tally was 39, thus easily winning the Golden Ball as the league’s top scorer – while also contributing six assists.</p>
<p>The Frenchman scored in four of Arsenal’s first five matches in 2003/2004 as the team recorded four wins and one draw. From there Henry continued to notch goals at unheard-of rates – by Christmas, he had scored 13 times in the league.</p>
<p>In February 2004 Henry scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Southampton at Highbury. The first was his 100th Arsenal goal, then in April he recorded a hat-trick in a 4-1 win over Liverpool. Two weeks later he bettered that with four goals in a 5-0 hammering of Leeds.</p>
<p>Arsenal clinched the league title later that month in a 2-2 draw at White Hart Lane as Henry and his teammates finished the season unbeaten with 26 wins and 12 draws. Henry was named Premier League Player of the Month for January and April 2004.</p>
<p>He won the PFA Players’ Player of the Year Award for the second straight season, was named the Football Writer’s Association Footballer of the Year, and was included in the PFA Team of the Year.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/03/28/arsenal-10-best-player-seasons/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Who did we miss? </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—></p><hr id="pagebreak"><p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-111701 size-large" title="Arsenal" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/03/28/arsenal-10-best-player-seasons/3/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F601882632-850x560.jpeg" alt="" width="590" height="389"></p>
<h2>There have been many great player performances for Arsenal during the Premier League era</h2>
<p>Of course, when putting together a top ten list there are always going to be omissions that others may have included.</p>
<p>Plus, the offensive side of the game tends to get all the attention rather than the defense. To be fair, Arsenal has had some fantastic defenders over the years worthy of mention such as Tony Adams, Steve Bould, Lee Dixon, Nigel Winterburn, David Seaman, Martin Keown, Sol Campbell, etc.</p>
<p>Then there are players such as Santi Cazorla, Tomas Rosicky, Gilberto, Ray Parlour, and Freddie Ljungberg that have all left their mark on the club as well.</p>
<p>If you have any thoughts or suggestions, on some of the best individual Arsenal player seasons, please let us know.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">
