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

3. David Rocastle

Lewisham-born Rocastle rose through the Arsenal ranks from a young age, and an obvious abundance of grace, skill and resilience on the pitch soon made him a force to be reckoned with.

‘Rocky’ first earned a taste of first-team football under the management of Don Howe and while frequent game-time allowed him to show glimpses of his capabilities, it was upon the 1986 appointment of former player George Graham to the hot seat that he truly began to flourish.

For two consecutive seasons which culminated in the historic title win at Anfield in 1989, Rocastle did not miss a single league fixture and his excellence as a playmaker earned him many individual accolades, including two Barclays Young Eagle awards in 1987 and ’89 and a place in the PFA Team of the Year.

Early promise was sustained in the new decade as he became the fulcrum of Graham’s title-winning side in 1991, and his incredible service in the final third – in addition to a prolific strike force – brought some of the most exciting football ever witnessed on the hallowed Highbury turf.

Similar to others mentioned, Rocastle’s departure for Leeds was unbefitting of his impact in north London and fans were left outraged by the manager’s seemingly cold-hearted treatment of such a popular figure. His career would go on for years afterwards until retirement beckoned in 1999, and Rocky died of cancer just two years later at the age of 33.

A terrible illness took him far too soon, but he will never be forgotten.

Continued on the next slide…