Founded in 1886, Arsenal have seen hundreds of strikers, wingers, and midfielders find the net. But only 19 players have ever reached 100 goals for the club.
Thierry Henry sits at the top with 228. He’s the only player in Arsenal’s history to pass 200 goals. Behind him, Ian Wright and Cliff Bastin complete a podium that spans seven decades of football.
This isn’t just a list of names and numbers, though. It’s the story of how Arsenal’s goalscoring record changed hands across eras, from the Herbert Chapman years to the Arsene Wenger revolution and beyond.
All figures reflect competitive first-team appearances across all competitions. Wartime matches are excluded. Stats sourced from Arsenal.com’s official club records.
Arsenal’s Top 10 Scorers Explained
1. Thierry Henry (228 goals, 377 apps)
Arsenal signed Henry from Juventus in 1999 for around £11m. He’d played mostly as a winger before Arsene Wenger converted him into a centre-forward. That decision changed the club’s history.
Henry won four Premier League Golden Boots, a record he shares to this day. He scored 30 league goals in the unbeaten Invincible season of 2003/04, and 175 Premier League goals in total — the most by any player for a single club at the time.
He broke Ian Wright’s longstanding record on 18 October 2005, scoring twice against Sparta Prague in the Champions League. He came on as an early substitute after six weeks out with a groin injury, and nobody expected it.
After the match, Henry told reporters he was overjoyed and that Wright would always be an Arsenal legend. He later reflected on his time at the club with typical clarity, once saying that Arsenal was his paradise.
His final Highbury moment? A hat-trick against Wigan on the last-ever match day at the old ground in May 2006. He left for Barcelona in 2007, returned briefly on loan in 2012, and scored against Leeds in the FA Cup. Because of course he did.
2. Ian Wright (185 goals, 288 apps)
Wright arrived from Crystal Palace in 1991 for a then-club-record £2.5m. He was 28 years old, a late starter in professional football who didn’t sign his first contract until he was nearly 22.
None of that mattered once he started scoring.
In four of his first five full seasons, Wright hit at least 30 goals. His strike rate of 0.64 goals per game remains one of the best in Arsenal’s history.
The defining moment came on 13 September 1997 against Bolton at Highbury. Wright needed two goals to break Cliff Bastin’s all-time record of 178 goals, which had stood for nearly six decades.
He scored the equaliser after 20 minutes, then ripped off his shirt to reveal a t-shirt reading “179 — Just Done It.” There was just one problem. That was only goal 178. He’d jumped the gun.
Five minutes later, he tapped in from a yard out to make it official. He completed a hat-trick before full-time. The record was his.
Wright left Arsenal with a Premier League title, two FA Cups, a League Cup, and the Cup Winners’ Cup. He’s remained one of the club’s most beloved figures ever since.
3. Cliff Bastin (178 goals, 396 apps)
Herbert Chapman reportedly went to watch a Watford player at Exeter. He came back with Bastin instead. The teenager was just 17 when he signed.
Playing as a left winger, Bastin was prolific in an era when wingers weren’t expected to score. He won five league titles and two FA Cups, and his record of 178 goals stood for 58 years until Wright finally passed it.
The Second World War robbed him of several peak seasons. He also suffered significant hearing loss during his career. Despite all that, his tally remained untouched for longer than any other record holder’s in Arsenal history.
4. John Radford (149 goals, 481 apps)
Radford came through the Arsenal youth system and became the youngest player in club history to score a hat-trick — aged 17 years and 315 days, against Wolves in January 1965. That record still stands.
He was a key part of the 1970/71 Double-winning side and served the club for over a decade. His 481 appearances show the kind of loyalty that’s hard to find in the modern era.
5. Jimmy Brain (139 goals, 232 apps)
Brain was the first Arsenal player to score 100 league goals. He was prolific during Herbert Chapman’s early years at the club, averaging a goal every 1.7 games across his career.
His Arsenal story ended with a controversial move directly to Tottenham in 1931. Few players have ever crossed that divide.
6. Ted Drake (139 goals, 184 apps)
Drake’s goals-per-game ratio is staggering. He netted 139 times in just 184 appearances, a rate of 0.76 per match. Nobody else in Arsenal’s all-time top 10 comes close to that efficiency.
His most famous day came on 14 December 1935 at Villa Park. Drake scored all seven goals in a 7–1 win over Aston Villa, a top-flight record that still stands nearly 91 years later. He did it while carrying a knee injury that almost kept him out of the squad entirely.
Drake also holds the record for most goals in a single Arsenal season: 44 in 1934/35.
The Second World War ended his playing career prematurely. Had he stayed fit and the war not intervened, it’s easy to imagine Drake sitting far higher on this list.
7. Doug Lishman (137 goals, 244 apps)
Lishman is one of the more overlooked names here. He was a reliable scorer throughout the post-war years and played a central role in Arsenal’s 1952/53 league title win.
He didn’t have the flair of some others on this list, but he turned up consistently when it mattered.
8. Robin van Persie (132 goals, 278 apps)
Van Persie’s early years at Arsenal were blighted by injuries. When he stayed fit, though, he was electric. His 2011/12 season produced 30 Premier League goals and a PFA Player of the Year award.
Then he left for Manchester United. That departure remains one of the most painful transfers in Arsenal’s recent history. It complicated his legacy, but his quality on the pitch was never in doubt.
9. Joe Hulme (125 goals, 374 apps)
Hulme was known for his pace, playing on the right wing during Arsenal’s dominant period under Chapman and George Allison. He won five league titles and two FA Cups across 12 seasons.
10. David Jack (124 goals, 208 apps)
Jack was the first player in football history to be transferred for a five-figure fee. He arrived at Arsenal in 1928 and won two league titles before retiring in 1934.
His goals-per-game ratio of 0.60 is one of the strongest in the top 10, and he once scored in nine consecutive league matches, a club record at the time.
From Bergkamp to Baker: Ranks 11 to 19
Dennis Bergkamp sits 11th with 120 goals in 423 appearances. His numbers don’t fully capture his influence. The Dutchman scored some of the most technically brilliant goals the Premier League has ever seen, none more so than his pirouette finish against Newcastle in March 2002.
Reg Lewis (12th, 118 goals) had a remarkable ratio of one goal every 1.5 games. His career was interrupted by the war, but he still managed to score in the 1950 FA Cup final.
Alan Smith (13th, 115 goals) won the Golden Boot in 1988/89 with the league title secured by that Michael Thomas goal at Anfield. He’s the last Arsenal striker to win England’s top-scoring award before the Premier League era began.
Jack Lambert (14th, 109 goals) was Chapman’s first-choice centre-forward and one of the deadliest finishers of the 1920s and 30s. His 109 goals came in just 161 games.
Frank Stapleton (15th equal, 108 goals) was a tireless forward who scored consistently across 300 appearances before leaving for Manchester United in 1981.
Theo Walcott also sits on 108 goals, though he needed 397 games to get there. His pace was his greatest weapon, but injuries and inconsistency prevented him from climbing higher.
David Herd (17th, 107 goals) scored at nearly one every two games before leaving for Manchester United in 1961. His son is often surprised when fans remember the name.
Olivier Giroud (18th, 105 goals) was a divisive figure during his time at Arsenal. Loved by some, criticised by others. But 105 goals across 253 appearances is a record that holds up under scrutiny.
Joe Baker (19th, 100 goals) sits at the threshold. The Scottish-born, English-raised forward reached exactly 100 goals in just 156 games, one of the sharpest strike rates on the entire list.
Who’s Next? Current Players Chasing the List
So who from the current squad could eventually break in?
Bukayo Saka is the obvious candidate. As of June 2026, Arsenal.com credits him with 81 senior goals across all competitions in over 300 appearances. He’s 24 years old, contracted until 2030, and already holds the record for most Arsenal goals scored by a player through age 21.
At his current rate of roughly 12 to 16 goals per season, Saka could realistically reach 100 within the next two years. He’d need sustained fitness and continued output, but the trajectory is clear. No current squad member is closer to Baker’s mark of 100.
Behind Saka, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli, and Leandro Trossard are still well short of the top 19. Barring a dramatic increase in output, none of them are likely to challenge.
The real question is whether Saka can sustain this pace across a full career at the club. If he stays and continues at his current rate, a place somewhere in the top 10 isn’t out of the question. That’s a big if, of course. Careers take unexpected turns.
But the conversation is worth having. And it’ll only get louder from here.
How the Record Changed Hands
The timeline of Arsenal’s all-time goalscoring record tells its own story:
- Jimmy Brain became the first Arsenal player to reach 100 league goals in the late 1920s.
- Cliff Bastin took the overall record during the 1930s. His total of 178 stood from 1939 until 1997 — a 58-year reign.
- Ian Wright broke it on 13 September 1997 with a hat-trick against Bolton, completing the record in front of the Highbury faithful.
- Thierry Henry passed Wright on 18 October 2005, scoring twice away at Sparta Prague in the Champions League. He finished with 228 goals, a mark that has now stood for over two decades.
At the current rate, Henry’s record looks safe for a long time.
Arsenal Goalscoring Records at a Glance
- Most goals overall: 228, Thierry Henry
- Most Premier League goals: 175, Thierry Henry
- Most FA Cup goals: 26, Cliff Bastin
- Most League Cup goals: 29, Ian Wright
- Most European goals: 42, Thierry Henry
- Most goals in a single season: 44, Ted Drake (1934/35)
- Most goals in a single match: 7, Ted Drake vs Aston Villa (14 December 1935)
- Most consecutive appearances scored in: 12, Ian Wright (September–November 1994)
- Most hat-tricks: 12 each, Jimmy Brain and Jack Lambert
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Arsenal’s all-time top scorer?
Thierry Henry, with 228 goals in 377 appearances across all competitions between 1999 and 2012.
How many goals did Ian Wright score for Arsenal?
Wright scored 185 goals in 288 appearances for Arsenal between 1991 and 1998.
Who held the record before Thierry Henry?
Ian Wright held it from September 1997 until October 2005. Before Wright, Cliff Bastin held the record for 58 years.
Which current Arsenal player has scored the most goals?
As of mid-2026, Bukayo Saka leads the current squad with 81 senior Arsenal goals across all competitions.
What is the most goals scored in a single Arsenal match?
Ted Drake scored all seven in a 7–1 win at Aston Villa on 14 December 1935. That remains an English top-flight record.