We’ve been asked a number of times for a list of Arsenal’s captains. The club has Mikel Arteta as the 46th permanent captain. However, we have 60 and the list is not 100% complete. During the season prior to professsionalism and the season after it was embraced by the club the captain was set on a monthly basis so there were as many as six captains in a season! The local press regularly made jokes about being unable to keep up with who was the chosen captain at any given point.
Our list shows the players that we can verify were captain and what season’s they captained the team. There are also notes where the captain changed during the season (1955-56 being particularly dynamic).
| Season | Captain | Notes |
| 1886-87 | David Danskin | |
| 1887-88 | David Danskin | |
| 1888-89 | David Danskin / Arthur Brown | |
| 1889-90 | Morris Bates | |
| 1890-91 | Morris Bates / William Stewart / Humphrey Barbour / Peter Connolly / John McBean / Bill Julian | |
| 1891-92 | Bill Julian / David Howat / Robert Buist / William Stewart / Tom Graham / Sandy Robertson | |
| 1892-93 | Charles Booth | |
| 1893-94 | Joe Powell | |
| 1894-95 | David Howat | |
| 1895-96 | Caesar Jenkyns | |
| 1896-97 | Gavin Crawford | |
| 1897-98 | Gavin Crawford | |
| 1898-99 | John Anderson | |
| 1899-1900 | Joe Murphy | |
| 1900-01 | Duncan McNichol | |
| 1901-02 | Jimmy Jackson | |
| 1902-03 | Jimmy Jackson | |
| 1903-04 | Jimmy Jackson | |
| 1904-05 | Jimmy Jackson | |
| 1905-06 | John Dick | |
| 1906-07 | Percy Sands | |
| 1907-08 | Percy Sands | |
| 1908-09 | Percy Sands | |
| 1909-10 | Percy Sands | |
| 1910-11 | Percy Sands | |
| 1911-12 | Percy Sands | |
| 1912-13 | Percy Sands | |
| 1913-14 | Percy Sands | |
| 1914-15 | Percy Sands | |
| 1915-16 | Probably Percy Sands | |
| 1916-17 | Probably Percy Sands | |
| 1917-18 | Probably Percy Sands | |
| 1918-19 | Probably Percy Sands | |
| 1919-20 | Joe Shaw | |
| 1920-21 | Frank Bradshaw | |
| 1921-22 | Frank Bradshaw | |
| 1922-23 | Alec Graham | |
| 1923-24 | Billy Blyth | |
| 1924-25 | Alf Baker | |
| 1925-26 | Charlie Buchan | |
| 1926-27 | Charlie Buchan | |
| 1927-28 | Charlie Buchan | |
| 1928-29 | Billy Blyth | |
| 1929-30 | Tom Parker | |
| 1930-31 | Tom Parker | |
| 1931-32 | Tom Parker | |
| 1932-33 | Charlie Jones | Until 24 February 1933 |
| 1932-33 | Alex James | From 24 February 1933 |
| 1933-34 | Alex James | |
| 1934-35 | Alex James | |
| 1935-36 | Alex James | |
| 1936-37 | Alex James | |
| 1937-38 | Eddie Hapgood | |
| 1938-39 | Eddie Hapgood | |
| 1939-40 | Eddie Hapgood | |
| 1940-41 | Eddie Hapgood | |
| 1941-42 | Eddie Hapgood | |
| 1942-43 | Eddie Hapgood | |
| 1943-44 | Eddie Hapgood | |
| 1944-45 | Eddie Hapgood | |
| 1945-46 | Eddie Hapgood | |
| 1945-46 | George Male | |
| 1946-47 | George Male | |
| 1947-48 | Joe Mercer | |
| 1948-49 | Joe Mercer | |
| 1949-50 | Joe Mercer | |
| 1950-51 | Joe Mercer | |
| 1951-52 | Joe Mercer | |
| 1952-53 | Joe Mercer | |
| 1953-54 | Joe Mercer | |
| 1954-55 | Jimmy Logie | Until 10 November 1954 |
| 1954-55 | Walley Barnes | From 10 November 1954 |
| 1955-56 | Walley Barnes | Until 17 September 1955 |
| 1955-56 | Don Roper | 18 September to 8 January 1956 |
| 1955-56 | Cliff Holton | From 8 January 1956 |
| 1956-57 | Peter Goring | |
| 1956-57 | Cliff Holton | |
| 1957-58 | Dennis Evans | Until 4 January 1958 |
| 1957-58 | Dave Bowen | From 4 January 1958 |
| 1958-59 | Dave Bowen | |
| 1959-60 | Vic Groves | |
| 1960-61 | Vic Groves | |
| 1961-62 | Vic Groves | |
| 1962-63 | Terry Neill | |
| 1963-64 | George Eastham | |
| 1964-65 | George Eastham | |
| 1965-66 | George Eastham | |
| 1966-67 | Don Howe | |
| 1967-68 | Frank McLintock | |
| 1968-69 | Frank McLintock | |
| 1969-70 | Frank McLintock | |
| 1970-71 | Frank McLintock | |
| 1971-72 | Frank McLintock | |
| 1972-73 | Frank McLintock | |
| 1973-74 | Bob McNab | |
| 1974-75 | Alan Ball | |
| 1975-76 | Eddie Kelly / Terry Mancini | Kelly was team captain, Mancini was club captain |
| 1975-76 | Alan Ball | |
| 1976-77 | Alan Ball | |
| 1976-77 | Pat Rice | |
| 1977-78 | Pat Rice | |
| 1978-79 | Pat Rice | |
| 1979-80 | Pat Rice | |
| 1980-81 | David O’Leary | |
| 1981-82 | David O’Leary | |
| 1982-83 | David O’Leary | |
| 1983-84 | Graham Rix | |
| 1984-85 | Graham Rix | |
| 1985-86 | Graham Rix | |
| 1986-87 | Kenny Sansom | |
| 1987-88 | Kenny Sansom | Until 6 March 1988 |
| 1987-88 | Tony Adams | From 6 March 1988 |
| 1988-89 | Tony Adams | |
| 1989-90 | Tony Adams | |
| 1990-91 | Tony Adams | |
| 1991-92 | Tony Adams | |
| 1992-93 | Tony Adams | |
| 1993-94 | Tony Adams | |
| 1994-95 | Tony Adams | |
| 1995-96 | Tony Adams | |
| 1996-97 | Tony Adams | |
| 1997-98 | Tony Adams | |
| 1998-99 | Tony Adams | |
| 1999-2000 | Tony Adams | |
| 2000-01 | Tony Adams | |
| 2001-02 | Tony Adams | |
| 2002-03 | Patrick Vieira | |
| 2003-04 | Patrick Vieira | |
| 2004-05 | Patrick Vieira | |
| 2005-06 | Thierry Henry | |
| 2006-07 | Thierry Henry | |
| 2007-08 | William Gallas | |
| 2008-09 | William Gallas | Until 24 November 2008 |
| 2008-09 | Cesc Fabregas | From 24 November 2008 |
| 2009-10 | Cesc Fabregas | |
| 2010-11 | Cesc Fabregas | |
| 2011-12 | Robin van Persie | |
| 2012-13 | Thomas Vermaelen | |
| 2013-14 | Thomas Vermaelen | |
| 2014-15 | Mikel Arteta | |
| 2015-16 | Mikel Arteta | |
| 2016-17 | Per Mertesacker | |
| 2017-18 | Per Mertesacker | |
| 2018-19 | Laurent Koscielny | |
| 2019-20 | Granit Xhaka | Appointed on 27 September 2019 although had captained the team until then. Until 5 November 2019 |
| 2019-20 | Pierre-Emrick Aubameyang | From 5 November 2019 |
| 2020-21 | Pierre-Emrick Aubameyang | |
| 2021-22 | Pierre-Emrick Aubameyang | Until 14 December 2021 |
| 2021-22 | No captain | No captain formally announced from 14 December 2021 although Alexandre Lacazette was first choice as captain until the end of the season |
| 2022-23 | Martin Odegaard | From 30 July 2022 although he had captained the team in previous pre-season friendlies |
—————–
Don’t forget to subscribe to the blog (top right). You know it makes sense.
Or have a look at our other site: The Arsenal Collection for more Arsenal memorabilia.
Copies of our books Royal Arsenal – Champions of the South and Arsenal: The Complete Record 1886-2018 are still available from the publishers.
Didn’t know Dennis Evans was a club captain – he used to live at the top of my Gran’s road which was Chesterfield gardens in Harringay