Football is a sport that’s highly regarded as a part of life in many sections of the world and many fans give their all to support their teams through thick and thin. Arsenal Football Club was founded as far back as 1886 and it currently holds the record for the longest uninterrupted period in the English top flight. The team has won 13 Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups but it’s currently going through a phase for six years without any piece of silverware.
It has a lifelong rivalry with neighbors Tottenham Hotspurs for bragging rights in the North London derby. Arsenal can boast of having the most loyal fans in London and probably England and virtually all the home games are always sold out. The club has maintained a great financial structure despite the current lack of silverware and it’s valued by Forbes as the 3rd richest club in the world at an estimated $1.3bn.
There have been many Gunners that have been exceptional in service to the club and they’ve written their names in the Gunners history books for years to come. David O’ Leary holds the record of appearances from 1975 to 1993 amassing a total of 722 games. Tony Adams comes in at second place with 669 appearances while David Seaman completes the top three with 564 appearances.
Thierry Henry was voted as the greatest ever Arsenal player but he was fully renowned for his goal scoring prowess that saw him score 226 goals for Arsenal. Ian Wright scored 185 goals while Cliff Bastin smashed in 175 goals.
The club’s record attendance for a game still stands at 73,707 in a Champions League match against RC Lens on the 25th of November 1998. However, the highest attendance in the previous home ground Highbury stood at 73,295 in a game against Sunderland on the 9th of March 1935. Currently, the club plays its home games at the magnificent Emirates Stadium and the highest attendance stands at 60,161 in a 2-2 draw against rivals Manchester United on the 3rd of November 2007.
The club has had 18 permanent managers and five caretaker managers since the appointment of its first ever manager in 1897 but current manager Arsene Wenger holds the record for the longest amount of years in service to the club which stands at 15 years.
The clubs is regarded as one of the most successful in English and world football and it has won the English League 13 times, the FA Cup 10 times, the League Cup twice and the Community Shield on 12 occasions.
On the European stage, the club came close to glory in 2006 in the UEFA Champions League but Barcelona stood in their way. Arsenal has won the Cup Winners Cup in 1994 and the FAIRS Cup in 1970. The club was also a runner up in the UEFA Cup in 2000.
The club is currently led by Robin van Persie and he has notched up 250 appearances scoring 112 goals for the club. The present vice-captain of the club is Thomas Vermaelen and he has made 62 appearances for the club scoring 10 goals. The squad has a formidable squad that’s mostly occupied by youngsters but players like Wojciech Szczesny, Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey have a very bright future ahead of them.
Arsenal Football Club
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