Arsenal Dream Team: No 3 Nigel Winterburn
GOLD
Gunners Greatest Players - No 32. Nigel Winterburn
2 mins 20 seconds
HEROES TOGETHER
No 15 Legendary left back Nigel Winterburn
2 mins 16 seconds
GGG44
Nigel Winterburn v Chelsea - 1997
2 mins 46 seconds
It’s time to unveil the Arsenal Dream Team.
This summer we asked the fans to choose their all-time XI and we got a tremendous response. More than 12,000 teams were submitted as supporters all around the world had their say.
There were only two rules: no current players could be included and the formation would be a traditional 4-4-2. That gave the fans a difficult task - how would they fit their favourite players into the side and find the perfect blend?
We’ll reveal the Dream Team position by position, resuming today with a left back who was selected in 46 per cent of the submitted line-ups.
NO 3 NIGEL WINTERBURN
Left back
Appearances: 584
Goals: 12
Nigel Winterburn is the first member of our Dream Team who had a real fight on their hands to earn a place in the starting XI.
David Seaman was a shoo-in for the goalkeeping spot and Lee Dixon comfortably saw off Pat Rice at right back, but Nigel had much stiffer competition. The manner of Ashley Cole's departure in 2006 angered many Arsenal fans but he pushed his predecessor all the way in our summer poll.
Ultimately Nigel pipped the 'Invincible' by 46 per cent to 38 and he is well worth his place in our all-time XI. After all, who on earth would have wanted to face Winterburn at his peak?
Influenced by his childhood admiration for Leeds United and toughened by four years with Wimbledon's 'Crazy Gang', Nigel arrived at the Club in 1987 and replaced a veritable Arsenal legend, Kenny Sansom, within a year.
Like the England international, Nigel loved to get forward and he enjoyed a particularly productive left-flank partnership with Marc Overmars later in his career. His early years were notable for his finest goal in a red and white shirt, a vicious long-range effort against Wimbledon with his (usually) weaker right foot.
Chelsea were other notable victims of Nigel's penchant for spectacular shooting but, of course, the Dream Team's No 3 did his best work at the other end of the pitch. You'd be hard pushed to think of a more tenacious defender, a more determined character and a better tackler than the long-serving left back.
Nigel gave 13 years to Arsenal, won a hatful of medals, never let the Club down and fully deserves this latest accolade. The all-time XI's full backs are firmly in place.
WHAT THEY SAID
"Nigel is a consummate professional and to lose a player who has dedicated 13 years of outstanding service to this club is a great loss. In an age where many players are eager to move from one club to another, Nigel has shown remarkable commitment to us. Nigel is a special character and I have to say that I, and undoubtedly the fans, did not want him to leave." - Arsène Wenger in 2000
"There is a tradition that comes with playing for Arsenal and that always drove me on to play my very best. The like of Tony Adams, Steve Bould and Lee Dixon were winners who knew what it meant to play for the club, knew what it took to be successful." - Nigel on his commitment to the Club
NIGEL WINTERBURN AT ARSENALCompetitionAppearancesGoalsLeague438+28
FA Cup470
League Cup493
Champions League
42+11
Totals581+312
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