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There were times when Tottenham Hotspur FC was a rather middle-of-the-pack club in England, but times have changed in the 21st century. Now, Tottenham is one of the most prestigious clubs in terms of honours and revenue, allowing them to pull in some of the best players in the world. Because of this, there is now a good mix of recent and past players who would be considered all-time greats.

Of those players, who are the greatest of the great? Let’s take a look at Arsenal’s history and choose the five best players of all time. Before jumping into the list, there were some legendary players who just missed the cut, including Gareth Bale, Ledley King, Paul Gascoigne, Gary Lineker, and Robbie Keane.

Son Heung-min

Already considered the greatest player to ever come from South Korea, Son Heung-min has dazzled at every stop along the way. In the late 2000s, he made his way to Germany to begin his professional career, playing with Hamburger SV. In 2013, Son joined Bayer Leverkusen for two years, and in 2015 he took a big step forward in terms of global recognition when he joined Tottenham.

Son is one of the top goal scorers in Tottenham history with over 140 during his impressive career, many of those coming in clutch situations. Son has won an incredibly long list of individual awards, including three Player of the Season honours for Tottenham while scoring the Goal of the Decade in the 2010s. As for his Best Football in Asia honours, let’s just say he needs a larger trophy room.

Dave Mackay

In the early 1950s, Edinburgh native Dave Mackay began his professional career with Heart of Midlothian in his hometown, then made his way to Tottenham in 1959. He would spend just under a decade with the Spurs before wrapping up his career in the early 1970s with shorter stints at Derby County and Swindon Town, making over 100 appearances with three different clubs.

Mackay didn’t have the longest stint for a player on the list or the most goals, though he was consistently the top player on the squad each year. With Tottenham, Mackay helped the club win the First Division title as well as three FA Cups.

Danny Blanchflower

Born in Belfast, Danny Blanchflower had a long professional career by the time he got to Tottenham. Blanchflower started just after World War II with Glentoran before heading to Barnsley and Aston Villa. Finally, in 1954 (and with over 300 professional matches under his belt), Blanchflower joined Tottenham for a decade. Outside of his final three matches with Durban City in 1965, he would enjoy the rest of his career with the Spurs.

Blanchflower is the other player on the list that doesn’t appear in the top 10 list of highest scorers or most matches played, but his impact was certainly felt. A 2003 inductee into the English Football Hall of Fame, Blanchflower won two Footballer of the Year Awards and helped the Spurs win a First Division Title and two FA Cups.

Harry Kane

Harry Kane is a striker who came from Walthamstow and joined five different youth programs including Arsenal and Watford before he became part of Tottenham in 2004. Five years later he made his professional debut and never looked back. Kane has been sent away on loan to a handful of teams including Leicester City, but Tottenham is where his best years and heart have always been.

Kane is tied with our number-one player for the most goals scored in club history at 268. Kane did so in 420 matches, giving him an impressive 0.64 goals per match average. Kane has been given a long list of individual awards, including two England Player of the Year honours while helping Tottenham reach the finals of the UEFA Champions League and EFL Cup.

Jimmy Greaves

While other clubs have a clear-cut player at the top of their all-time greatest list, Tottenham’s is certainly up for debate. Our number one pick, however, is Jimmy Greaves, who came into professional football with Chelsea in the late 1950s. Following his departure, Greaves had a brief run with AC Milan before spending almost the entirety of the 1960s with Tottenham.

Greaves ranks close to the top 10 of all time in terms of match appearances with Tottenham at 381, and he was certainly efficient as a scorer. Kane and Greaves are tied for the most goals in club history, but Greaved needed 39 fewer matches to put up his 268 goals, giving him an insane 0.70 goals per match average. Greaves won two FA Cups with Tottenham, and in 1963 finished in the top three of the Ballon d’Or voting.

Manchester City is one of the top clubs in England and became the most successful starting in the early 2010s thanks to five titles in a decade. Man City had a long history before then, too, with some of the top players in the world finding a home with the club.

Of the many players that have worn the Manchester City kit, which ones helped to bolster the club’s prestige the most? Let’s take a look at the top five, with many of them unsurprisingly being more recent players. Before we start the list, some of the more notable players who just missed the cut include Joe Corrigan, Mike Doyle, Bert Trautmann, Kevin De Bruyne, Peter Doherty, and Mike Summerbee.

Alan Oakes

Alan Oakes was born in the midst of World War II and focused on playing football in the years that followed as a child. In 1958 he became part of Manchester City’s youth program and made his professional debut the following year. Oakes became a mainstay for Man City and was part of the roster for 17 years before spending the bulk of his remaining playing career with Chester into the 1980s.

From his midfield position, Oakes was able to net more than two dozen goals during his Manchester City career. In 1975 he was named the club’s player of the year and he won several team titles to boot. This includes the European Winners’ Cup, the First Division title, an FA Cup, and a pair of Charity Shields.

Vincent Kompany

The first of three non-English-born players on the list is Vincent Kompany, who was born in Uccle, Belgium, and spent his early career in his home country. Kompany played for both Anderlecht and Hamburger SV prior to 2008 when he joined Manchester City and would play for the club for more than a decade. He returned to Anderlecht for his final year between 2019-2020.

The center-back wasn’t a prolific goalscorer from his position, but was still able to net nearly 20 goals during his Man City career. Thanks to Kompany’s performance, Man City won four Premier League titles during his tenure, as well as two FA Cups, two Community Shields, and a whopping four EFL Cups. In 2022, Kompany was named to the Premier League Hall of Fame, a decade after winning the league’s Player of the Season.

David Silva

Spanish native David Silva was brought into the professional ranks by Valencia where he spent all of the 2000s. When the 2010s started, he joined Manchester City and stayed for the entire decade before heading to Real Sociedad. Silva sits just outside of the top 10 for all-time matches played with Manchester City with 390.

Silva, even as a midfielder, scored more than five dozen goals for Manchester City in his career. Man City won the Premier League four times with David Silva, as well as the EFL Cup five times. He was named the 2016-17 Manchester City Player of the Season and the one-time EPL Player of the Month also helped the club win the FA Cup twice.

Colin Bell

Born in Hesleden, England, Colin Bell made his professional debut with Bury and was with the club for three years. He then joined Manchester City in 1966 and remained on the roster for 13 years before playing five matches at the end of his career with the San Jose Earthquakes in the United States. Bell ranks fifth in Man City history with 493 matches in total.

Bell is also in the top five for all-time goals scored with 153, putting him at number four on the list. With Bell, Manchester City won the First Division once, the UEFA Winners’ Cup once, and the FA Cup once. He was the club’s top scorer in four different years, and Bell was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2005.

Sergio Aguero

The top player on the list is Sergio Aguero, the Argentinian who began his European career playing for Atletico Madrid from 2006 to 2011. He then joined Manchester City, playing with the club for a decade before wrapping up his career in 2021 with Barcelona. While Aguero may not have had as many matches as some of the players on the list, he certainly had a massive impact.

Aguero ranks first all-time in goals with 260, putting him more than 80 ahead of anybody else. Aguero helped propel Man City to five Premier League titles and the 2019 FA Cup. During that time, Aguero won the Premier League Golden Boot and was the player of the month several times. In 2022, Aguero was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame.

Arsenal has a rich history as one of the most prestigious clubs in English football. No other club has won as many FA Cups, and they also have a long list of league titles that put them in the top three in the country for major trophies won. Of course, you can’t find that type of success without having a lot of great talent.

With that said, there are a lot of players in Arsenal’s history to pick from when narrowing it down to the best of the best. Still, we were able to cut it down to just the top five players. Before we begin the list, some of the players who just missed the cut (but are still great) include Patrick Vieira, Liam Brady, David Seaman, Pat Jennings, Charlie George, and David O’Leary.

Robert Pires

The first player on the list hails from France as Robert Pires was born in Reims where he started his youth career. After joining the Metz program in 1992, he made his professional debut with the team the following year and remained there for another five. After a two-year stint in Marseille, Pires made his way to Arsenal, where he made over 190 appearances between 2000 and 2006.

Pires was able to help Arsenal win the Premier League twice in three seasons during the early 2000s, as well as the FA Cup in 2003 and 2005. Pires was the FWA Footballer of the Year in 2001-02, as well, and part of the 100 greatest footballs ever by none other than Pele.

Ian Wright

Though better known these days as a television analyst, Ian Wright enjoyed a fine career as a player from 1985 to 2000. Wright got his start with Greenwich Borough before making his way to Crystal Palace for six years, scoring 90 goals in the process. Wright then joined Arsenal in 1991, sticking around for the majority of the decade before wrapping up his career with four short stints around the United Kingdom.

Wright helped propel Arsenal to the Premier League title in 1998, and the club also won the FA Cup twice during his tenure to go along with the 1993 Football League Cup and 1994 European Cup Winners’ Cup. Wright is second all-time in scoring for Arsenal with 185 goals, putting him seven ahead of Cliff Bastin.

Tony Adams

It can be quite rare for a big-time footballer to spend their entire career with one club, but that’s just what Tony Adams did. At the start of the 1980s, Adams joined Arsenal’s youth program, and three years later he was called up to the senior squad. Adams was just one year shy of two decades of service with Arsenal, making over 500 appearances in the process. After retiring in 2002, Adams became a manager for the likes of Wycombe Wanderers and Portsmouth.

Arsenal won four top league titles with Adams, two of which were in the First Division while the other two came in the Premier League. Adams’s squads also won the FA Cup three times and the Football League Cup twice. Adams had 672 appearances, which is second all-time in club history behind only David O’Leary.

Dennis Bergkamp

The only Dutchman on the list is Dennis Bergkamp, who our number one star said was the best footballer that he’s ever played with. Bergkamp made his professional debut in 1986 with Ajax where he became a legend with the club, then spent more than 50 matches with Inter Milan in the mid-1990s. In 1995, Bergkamp had a second legendary run, this time with Arsenal for over a decade.

With Bergkamp, Arsenal won the Premier League three times between 1998 and 2004 while adding another four FA Cup titles. Bergkamp finished in the top three of Ballon d’Or voting twice and scored 87 times during his Arsenal career. In 2021, he was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame.

Thierry Henry

It should come as no surprise that the number one player in Arsenal’s history is Thierry Henry, who at one point was considered among the best players in the world. Henry’s professional career began with Monaco, and he then spent a brief stint with Juventus before spending eight years with Arsenal, his longest tenure as a player.

Surprisingly, Arsenal never won the UEFA Champions League with Henry, but they came very close. They did still win the Premier League and FA Cup twice while Henry set several club records. No other player has come close to scoring as many goals as Henry, as his 228 is more than 40 ahead of second place. What makes it more impressive is that Henry still finished more than 100 matches short of appearing in the top 10 of most appearances.

While Real Madrid may have the most La Liga titles in history, FC Barcelona is right at the top in terms of prestige. Barca has fans all over the world thanks to the many elite players who have been part of the club’s rosters over the years. Out of those roughly 1,000 men who have suited up for Barca, which ones are the best?

Though it’s not easy to pick just five, we felt that these men were truly the best in Barcelona’s prestigious history. Before we start the list, some of the men who just missed the cut include Gerard Pique, Carles Puyol, Ronaldinho, Johan Cruyff, and Cesar Rodriguez.

Sergio Busquets

The first player on the list spent his youth career with several different organizations, but in 2005 he joined Barcelona as a teenager. Two years later, Sergio Busquets made his professional debut and would remain part of the club for many, many years to come. Busquets crossed over 700 appearances in 2022 and moved into third on the all-time list for Barcelona.

Busquets was part of more than a dozen La Liga and Copa del Rey title winners, and he helped Barcelona win the UEFA Champions League three times. Busquets has won the Bravo Award, La Liga’s Breakthrough Player Award, and several other honours throughout his long and illustrious career. Playing mainly defense, Busquets hasn’t netted many goals but does have over 10 total.

Luis Suarez

One of just two non-Spaniards on the list, Luis Suarez hails from Uruguay and played for several professional teams before making his way to Barcelona. Suarez made 110 appearances each for Ajax and Liverpool, joining Barca in 2014 where he would remain for six years. During that time, Suarez became one of the club’s most prominent all-time scorers.

Suarez needed just 283 matches to score 198 goals, the third-most in club history. Suarez won four La Liga and Copa del Rey titles during his tenure with Barcelona, as well as to Spanish Super Cups and a UEFA Champions League title. The four-time La Liga Player of the Month left in 2020 to join Atletico Madrid before heading to Nacional and Gremio.

Andres Iniesta

At just 13 years old, Andres Iniesta joined the Barcelona youth program and made his professional debut in 2001. The following year, he joined the top Barca squad, and he would be part of the club for 16 more years. Iniesta played in more matches for Barcelona than all but three men, making 679 total appearances. As a midfielder, he wasn’t a perennial goal-scorer but made a huge difference on the pitch.

Iniesta, during the peak of his career, was one of the top players in the world as he finished in the top three of the Ballon d’Or voting twice. Barcelona won La Liga nine times with Iniesta on the roster, as well as four UEFA Champions League titles. He was named La Liga’s Best Midfielder five times in addition to his many other individual accomplishments.

Xavi

Born Xavier Hernandez Creus in Terrassa, Spain, those around the world came to know him simply as Xavi. Like Iniesta, Xavi was one of the greatest midfielders in European history and spent most of his career playing for Barcelona. After more than a decade with the youth program, Xavi was part of the B-squad in the late 1990s before making his top squad debut in 1998.

Xavi is second in Barcelona’s history in matches played with 779, and he helped Barca lift the La Liga title eight times. Xavi also won the Copa del Rey three times and took home four EUFA Champions League titles. As an individual, he was named the La Liga Midfielder of the Year three times and was the Spanish Player of the Year overall in 2005.

Lionel Messi

Of course, the top spot on the list goes to the second non-Spaniard on the list, and that’s Argentina native Lionel Messi. Considered perhaps the greatest football player of all time, it only makes sense that he’s the top player in Barcelona’s history. In 2000, Messi joined Barca’s youth program and was promoted to the top squad in 2004. He spent 17 years on the roster until joining Paris Saint-Germain in 2021.

Messi holds just about every Barcelona record, including match appearances and goals. Messi netted 672 goals during his Barca career, putting him 440 ahead of anybody else. With Messi, Barcelona won La Liga 10 times while he won the Ballon d’Or for the world’s top player a whopping seven times. In fact, there are many more accomplishments for Messi, but it would take a long time to mention them all.

When you’re talking about the most prestigious clubs in English football, Manchester United has to be the first one that comes to mind. No club has won as many league titles in England, FA Cups, or Community Shields as Man U, and they have also won several honours throughout all of Europe. Along the way, Man U has also had some of the best players in the world.

The list of players to make at least one appearance for Manchester United is incredibly long, but we were able to narrow it down to the five men who were truly the best in club history. Before we start the list, some of the Red Devils who just missed the cut include David Beckham, Roy Keane, Peter Schmeichel, Gary Neville, Bryan Robson, and Eric Cantona.

Wayne Rooney

Those who are on the younger side may think that Wayne Rooney started his career with Manchester United, but he actually came through the Everton youth program. He then made his professional debut with the club in 2002, making 67 appearances between then and 2004. Sir Alex Ferguson saw the 18-year-old’s potential and convinced Man U to sign him to a massive contract.

The deal ended up paying massive dividends for Man U as Rooney became a club legend. In total, Rooney had 559 appearances, the sixth-most in club history. Rooney also netted 253 goals, which is the most ever for a Manchester United player. With Rooney, Man U won the English Premier League five times and he won a long list of individual titles before heading back to Everton in 2017, and ultimately the United States.

George Best

From 1974 until 1983, Belfast native George Best played for 10 different professional teams, but never made more than 60 appearances. However, in the 11 years leading up to that, he was one of the best players in Manchester United’s history. Best made his senior club debut in 1963 and during the height of his career won the Ballon d’Or as the world’s top football player.

Best netted 179 goals with Manchester United, putting him in a tie for fifth all-time in club history. He was able to accomplish that in just 470 matches, giving him a better goals-per-game average than many of the others who are in the top 10. Best helped Man U win the First Division twice, as well as the 1968 European Cup, leading to his English Football Hall of Fame induction in 2002.

Bobby Charlton

For the entirety of George Best’s career with Manchester United, he was teammates with Bobby Charlton. Charlton had started his career many years before, coming up through the Man U youth program in the mid-1950s and making his senior club debut in 1956. Charlton spent 17 years with Manchester United, and his 758 appearances are second all-time.

Charlton is also second in goals, just four behind Wayne Rooney with 249. Charlton’s Man U clubs won the First Division three times, as well as an FA Cup and two Charity Shields. As for his individual accomplishments, Charlton won the Ballon d’Or in 1966, finishing as the runner-up the following two years, including second to George Best. In 1966, Charlton led England to a World Cup victory.

Paul Scholes

Everyone on the list to this point had spent several years playing for clubs outside of Manchester United, but that’s not the case for our top two. The first is midfielder Paul Scholes, who came up through the youth program and played with Manchester United from 1993 to 2013. During his 20 years, Scholes made 718 appearances, putting him third all-time.

Scholes, despite his position, is in the top 10 of all-time goal scorers for Man U with 155. Thanks to Scholes, Manchester United was able to win the Premier League title 11 times, as well as two UEFA Champions League titles and a FIFA Club World Cup. In 2022, Scholes was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame, 14 years after being inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame.

Ryan Giggs

The top player on the list started his youth career with Manchester City, but joined the crosstown rivals in 1987, then made his senior debut in 1990. Ryan Giggs remained part of the roster until 2014. Giggs holds the record for most appearances in Manchester United history with 963, putting him more than 200 ahead of anybody else.

Giggs scored 168 goals during that time, and his Manchester United squads won the Premier League a whopping 13 times. Giggs also won the FA Cup four times, a pair of UEFA Champions League titles and he was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame with nearly a decade still left in his career.

All sports are susceptible to some major upsets, and football is no exception. Though it’s rarer as the better team tends to come out on top, there have been a handful of matches (or perhaps overall seasons) in which the team that was given no chance pulled off the impossible and wound up coming out victorious.

Let’s go through the long history of the sport and take a look at some of the upsets that left the world stunned. There were a lot of upsets to choose from, but these five were in front of worldwide audiences and featured some of the biggest longshot odds in sportsbook history.

North Korea vs. Italy (1966 World Cup)

England played host to the World Cup in 1966 and would end up winning the entire tournament, but not before some events took place. All of Africa boycotted the event, Czechoslovakia didn’t qualify after finishing second in the previous World Cup, and the championship trophy was stolen but recovered by a dog. There was also one of the biggest upsets in football history, which took place during the group stage.

North Korea has qualified for two World Cup events. 2010 in South Africa, and the 1966 event in which they drew a group with Chile, the Soviet Union, and Italy. The massive underdogs were expected to get swept and lost the opening match 3-0 to the Soviets. After drawing with Chile (1-1), the North Koreans kept Italy out of the knockout stage, defeating them 1-0. North Korea took their place but lost 5-3 to Portugal in the quarterfinals.

Leicester City (2015-16 EPL Season)

2016 was a strange year overall between Brexit, Harambe, Syria, and Donald Trump, but things were just as wild in the sports world. In Major League Baseball, the Chicago Cubs won their first World Series title in 108 years while Leicester City pulled off the greatest underdog story in English football history. At 5,000-to-1, nobody thought they could win the EPL.

Leicester City started strong, lost just one of its first 17 matches, and started winning more than they drew. Many thought it was simply a ‘cute’ story midway through the season, but the second half was even stronger for Leicester City. The club dropped just one more match en route to 81 points, putting them 10 ahead of runner-up Arsenal. 

Greece vs. Portugal (Euro 2004)

Like Leicester City, almost nobody gave Greece a chance during the Euro 2004, especially with host Portugal being one of the favorites. Greece was placed into the same group as Portugal, as well as heavyweights Spain and Russia. Greece had a stunning upset of Portugal (2-1) to kick off the tournament, then drew 1-1 with Spain before dropping a 1-2 decision to Russia.

Greece still advanced and the surprises kept coming. The country defeated France 1-0 in the quarterfinals, then had another 1-0 victory over the Czech Republic in the semis. In a rematch with Portugal, the 1-0 trend would continue with Greece coming out on top once again and clinching the 2004 Euro title.

Saudi Arabia vs. Argentina (2022 World Cup)

Essentially what everyone will remember about the 2022 World Cup was that it was in Qatar and Lionel Messi won his first World Cup with Argentina. However, Argentina’s run for the World Cup title didn’t go off without a hitch. During the group stages, the club had its struggles with one of the event’s biggest underdogs in the form of Saudi Arabia.

In the group’s opening match in Lusail, Argentina got off to a 1-0 advantage thanks to a Messi penalty kick, but the Saudis netted the next two in the 48th and 53rd minutes. Saudi Arabia held on for the 2-1 victory in what would be their only win of the tournament, as well as Argentina’s only match that didn’t end with them winning.

USA vs. England (1950 World Cup)

Heading into the 1950 World Cup, England was one of the favorites to win the entire event while the United States mostly sent players who took on football as a hobby instead of a job. When the two met up in the group stages, England was expected to dominate the Americans, but it wasn’t to be. England failed to score while Joseph Gaetjens netted the lone goal, giving the US a 1-0 victory.

England still had a chance to advance out of the group stage, but were demoralized after what they thought would be an easy victory and dropped another 1-0 decision to Spain. As for the Americans, their other two matches ended in 3-1 and 5-2 defeated to Spain and Chile, respectively.