Pain in the Arsenal
Fansided

Ranking the 5 best Arsenal wingers/attacking midfielders of all-time

By Kenneth Daly

Oct 1979: Liam Brady of Arsenal in action during a Football League Division One match against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Molineux Grounds in Wolverhampton, England. \ Mandatory Credit: Allsport UK /Allsport
Oct 1979: Liam Brady of Arsenal in action during a Football League Division One match against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Molineux Grounds in Wolverhampton, England. \ Mandatory Credit: Allsport UK /Allsport /
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4. Freddie Ljungberg

PORTSMOUTH, ENGLAND – MARCH 6: Freddie Ljungberg of Arsenal scores the second goal past Portsmouth goalkeeper Shaka Hislop during the FA Cup Quarter Final match between Portsmouth and Arsenal at Fratton Park on March 6. 2004 in Portsmouth, England. (Photo by Phil Cole/Getty Images)
PORTSMOUTH, ENGLAND – MARCH 6: Freddie Ljungberg of Arsenal scores the second goal past Portsmouth goalkeeper Shaka Hislop during the FA Cup Quarter Final match between Portsmouth and Arsenal at Fratton Park on March 6. 2004 in Portsmouth, England. (Photo by Phil Cole/Getty Images) /

While some players struggle to acclimatise to the rigours of the Premier League, Ljungberg’s debut goal against Man United in 1998 quickly endeared him to the Highbury faithful and marked the beginning of an astonishing nine-year stay in the capital.

The Swede faced frequent battles with injury but demonstrated his extraordinary talent when available and was a nightmare for the opposition – providing timely and effective runs into the box and sporting a versatility that encouraged almost telepathic relationships with his stellar offensive teammates.

In addition to the potential, Ljungberg was also able to produce the goods on big occasions and scored plenty of goals at crucial moments – notably in consecutive FA Cup finals in 2001 and 2002, as well as two vital efforts in a Champions League group stage clash against Juventus. The 2001/02 double-winning campaign saw him play his best football as he registered 17 goals and won the Barclaycard Player of the Season award. His ability to mitigate Robert Pires’ absence helped Arsenal seal a second league triumph in four years.

A prominent role in the Invincibles campaign followed, but persistent injury issues meant he would never scale the same heights again and the subsequent lack of minutes soon brought the curtain down on his time with the Gunners.

324 appearances and five major trophies cement his standing as an Arsenal legend.

Continued on the next slide…

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