Legendary Gunners captain Tony Adams, as well as our former goalkeeper Petr Cech, have been named as the latest members of the Premier League Hall of Fame.
The pair were selected by supporters through an online public vote as well as the Premier League Awards Panel, and have been joined in the Hall of Fame class of 2023 by our former manager Arsene Wenger, Sir Alex Ferguson and Rio Ferdinand.
Tony made his senior debut for us in 1983 and had already won two championships before the start of the Premier League in 1992.
He captained us in the first 10 seasons of the new division, making 255 appearances at the heart of our defence and securing 115 clean sheets in the process. His ratio of shutting out the opposition in 48.5 per cent of games in which he played 90 minutes is a record for players who have played 200 or more full games.
Dubbed Mr Arsenal, Tony helped us to two further Premier League titles in 1997/98 and 2001/02 - winning the Double in both campaigns - and remains the only player to captain a side to top-flight titles in three different decades.
On this accolade, Adams said: “I loved being a footballer and I love Arsenal Football Club. Every time I put that shirt on, I felt proud, and it forever holds a special place in my heart.
“I spent over 20 years of my life at Arsenal and enjoyed being part of several generations at the club and have countless great memories from that time, but scoring the goal that helped us to win our first Premier League title in 1997/98 against Everton was a magical moment and a career highlight for me.
“I’m very pleased to join the Premier League Hall of Fame. It’s an honour to be recognised and voted for by the fans who make the game what it is.
“I’m certainly in good company when you look at the guys it includes and I’m happy to be listed alongside the likes of Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Vieira and Arsene Wenger.”
Cech meanwhile joins Adams in the Hall of Fame, having recorded the most Premier League clean sheets as a goalkeeper with 202 shutouts in 443 appearances.
A four-time Premier League champion during his time at Chelsea, he moved to Emirates Stadium in 2015 and won the last of his four Premier League Golden Gloves awards in his debut campaign. He went on to play 110 times for us in the top-flight, keeping 40 clean sheets before hanging up his gloves in 2019.
Cech said: “When I was a child growing up in communist Czechoslovakia, playing in the Premier League was an unimaginable dream. When I look back to where I started, diving on rock-solid pitches with stones like golf balls, it has been an amazing journey.
“It's an honour for me to be voted into the Hall of Fame in the best league in the world. That's really a special recognition and leaves a legacy. I’m proud that fans voted for me and appreciated the way I performed over the years.”
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