‘Dixon was 100 per cent committed'

By Lloyd Webb

Arsene Wenger says one of Lee Dixon’s biggest qualities as a player was his total commitment.

The club legend celebrates his 52nd birthday this week, having featured 619 times for Arsenal - putting him fourth in the all-time appearance list - during a 15-year spell in north London.

Dixon also won 13 trophies at the club and Wenger says his character and intelligence made him a formidable defender.

“He’s a very intelligent and committed guy,” the manager told Arsenal Player. “When he commits, it’s not 99 per cent, it’s 100 per cent.

“I had many players in my life, many, many top players, but what always stands out more than technical talent is the quality of a human being and the quality of their character.

“Sometimes you feel like this guy could go into the trenches and you think, ‘I would like to have him next to me’. Lee Dixon is one of them. I was lucky that I had a few like him."