8 Best Scandinavian Players in Arsenal History (Ranked)

Premier League teams have had plenty of talent from Scandinavia over the years - including the Gunners. Quality of performance, success, and longevity are key factors in ranking Scandinavian Arsenal players. Ljungberg, Odegaard, and Limpar are among the top Scandinavian players who had a significant impact at Arsenal.

Scandinavia has produced some fantastic footballers over the years. Celtic fans will fondly remember the years that Henrik Larsson scored goals for fun in Scotland , before joining Barcelona in 2004 and winning the Champions League two years later. Larsson was one of many players from the region that played in the Premier League , as he enjoyed a brief loan spell at Manchester United in 2007.



In the 1990s, the likes of Henning Berg and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer won Premier League titles and players from the region continue to shine today, with Erling Haaland regularly scoring for Manchester City . Arsenal have also had plenty of Scandinavians represent them in both the past and present, with their current captain Martin Odegaard having represented Norway since he was just 15. In this list, we take a look at the best players from Scandinavia to have played for the Gunners in their history.

Some have played a key role in the club's success, whereas others are better remembered for their time spent elsewhere. Quality of performance - How well each player played on the pitch during their time at Arsenal Success - This can be measured not only through trophies won, but how well the club performed during their Arsenal careers Longevity - How long they stayed with the Gunners Ranking Player Country 1. Freddie Ljungberg Sweden 2.

Martin Odegaard Norway 3. Anders Limpar Sweden 4. Nicklas Bendtner Denmark 5.

John Jensen Denmark 6. Stefan Schwarz Sweden 7. Kim Kallstrom Sweden 8.

Sebastian Larsson Sweden From those who featured in the George Raynor years of the 40s & 50s to the crowning of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Sweden's top footballers have been ranked. 8 Sebastian Larsson Larsson joined Arsenal's academy from his hometown club, IFK Eskilstuna, in 2001 and impressed fans with his performances for the reserve team, notably with his excellent free-kicks. He wouldn't make his first-team debut until 2004 when a young Arsenal side beat Manchester City in the League Cup .

Opportunities were limited for Larsson at Arsenal, although the midfielder showed his versatility in the 2005-06 campaign by playing in several defensive positions in the absence of more experienced players. He was sent on loan to Birmingham in 2006-07, a move which was eventually made permanent. Larsson also featured for both Sunderland and Hull City in the Premier League, where everybody finally got to see just how good he was at taking free-kicks.

Appearances 12 Goals 0 Assists 0 Honours None Win Percentage (Premier League) 33.33% 7 Kim Kallstrom The very definition of a deadline day panic buy, Kallstrom arrived on loan from Spartak Moscow in January 2014. The idea behind the move was that he would help provide cover for the suspended Mathieu Flamini , plus the injured Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey in midfield.

What the fans didn't know when he signed, was that Kallstrom had a back injury himself, picked up in training with the Russian side. With just hours left in the window, manager Arsene Wenger decided to sign Kallstrom anyway in the hope that he may be of use later in the season. Arsenal's title challenge was fading by the time Kallstrom finally made his debut against Swansea City in March 2014.

Their hopes of ending a nine-year trophy drought rested on the FA Cup , and in April 2014, they faced Wigan Athletic in the semi-finals at Wembley. Kallstrom was on the bench that day but was brought on for Ramsey in the closing stages of extra time, as the Gunners struggled to overcome the Championship side. After extra time, the match finished 1-1 - meaning penalties would decide who would compete in the cup final the following month.

To the surprise of many, Kallstrom confidently scored in the shootout, as Arsenal won 4-2 on penalties. Some fans regard Kallstrom as something of a cult hero for this moment alone, and the Swede has fond memories of the game too . Appearances 4 Goals 0 Assists 0 Honours None Win Percentage (Premier League) 66.

7% 6 Stefan Schwarz Schwarz joined Arsenal in 1994 from Portuguese giants Benfica , having been part of the Sweden team which finished third at the 1994 World Cup . A tough tackler, Schwarz added steel to the Gunners' midfield in the 1994-95 campaign. His standout moment for the club came in the run to the European Cup Winners' Cup final in 1995 when he fired in a late free-kick to force extra time in the semi-final against Sampdoria .

Sadly, that was his only season in the famous red and white shirt, with the Swede joining Fiorentina in the summer of 1995. Had he stayed longer in London, Schwarz may well have been higher on this list. He returned to the Premier League in 1999 and spent the final four years of his career at Sunderland.

His contract at Sunderland featured one of the most bizarre clauses in football history. Appearances 48 Goals 4 Assists 2 Honours None Win Percentage (Premier League) 35.29% 5 John Jensen Jensen arrived at Highbury in the summer of 1992, having scored for Denmark in the final of the European Championships in their surprise 2-0 win over Germany .

You'd forgive any Arsenal supporters who watched him score that fabulous goal in the final for expecting more of the same in London. However, Jensen would have to wait two years and 98 games before he scored his only goal for Arsenal. It came on New Year's Eve in 1994 in a 3-1 defeat at home to Queens Park Rangers .

His lack of goals became a bit of a running joke among fans and those present for his lone strike saw it as an 'I was there' moment, with shirts being sold outside Highbury after he finally scored. Aside from his long goal drought, Jensen featured for Arsenal in the 1993 FA Cup success over Sheffield Wednesday . He also had an impressive 1993-94 season until he was injured on international duty for Denmark, forcing him to miss the European Cup Winners' Cup final against Parma in 1994.

He missed out in the final of the same competition the following season when caretaker boss Stewart Houston didn't select him for the final against Real Zaragoza. The following year, Jensen returned to his former club Brondby after four years in north London. Appearances 131 Goals 1 Assists 6 Honours 1 - FA Cup (1993) Win Percentage (Premier League) 36.

73% Denmark have been a mainstay at World Cups and European Championships for decades, even winning Euro 1992. 4 Nicklas Bendtner After an impressive loan spell at Birmingham City in 2006-07, Bendtner agreed a new deal at Arsenal and the promising teenager was given his chance in north London. His league debut came in a 2-1 win over Fulham in August 2007, but it was later that year that people began to take notice of him.

In December, Bendtner scored the winner against Tottenham Hotspur , just seconds after coming on as a substitute - to secure a crucial win and local bragging rights. The Danish striker was paired with the likes of Robin van Persie and Emmanuel Adebayor during his time at the club. He famously clashed with Adebayor in a League Cup semi-final against Tottenham in 2008, when they were both playing for Arsenal.

Although Bendtner had his fair share of good moments at Arsenal, such as a Champions League hat-trick against Porto in 2010, the striker had issues off the pitch as well. He was pictured coming out of a nightclub with his jeans pulled down after Arsenal's Champions League semi-final defeat to Manchester United in 2009. Later that year, he crashed his Aston Martin on the way to training.

Eventually, even Arsene Wenger 's patience with him wore thin. He was sent out on loan to Sunderland in 2011-12 and then Juventus the following season. He stayed at Arsenal for the final year of his contract in 2013-14, and he scored important goals in the league against Hull City and Cardiff .

Appearances 171 Goals 47 Assists 22 Honours None Win Percentage (Premier League) 50.51% Goals Per Match at Arsenal (Premier League) 0.22 3 Anders Limpar Limpar made the perfect start to life in England, helping Arsenal to win the league title in 1990-91.

His creativity from the wing and goals that season played a big part in the club's success, as Arsenal lost once in the league all season. He was involved in the brawl against Manchester United at Old Trafford in 1990 and scored the only goal of the game. The following season was best remembered for his stunning lob against Liverpool at Highbury from around 40 yards out.

He didn't feature in the League Cup and FA Cup finals in 1993 and with his contract due to expire in the summer of 1994, he was sold to Everton in March of that year. Limpar was reportedly an Evertonian growing up, despite living in Sweden. He went on to enjoy success with the Toffees, as they lifted the FA Cup in 1995.

The final club he played for in England was Birmingham City, who he had a brief spell with in 1997. Appearances 106 Goals 19 Assists 19 Honours 1 - First Division (1991) Win Percentage (League) 49.52% 2 Martin Odegaard Odegaard has been in the spotlight for most of his career, having signed for Real Madrid at the age of 16 in 2015.

He was sent on a series of loans to clubs during his stay in Madrid, including Heerenveen, Vitesse Arnhem, and Real Sociedad . His final loan move came in January 2021, when Arsenal signed him for the remainder of the 2020-21 season. Odegaard did enough during his loan spell to convince the Gunners to spend around £30m on him in the summer of 2021.

Since then, he and Arsenal have gone from strength to strength. He was appointed captain a year after his move to London, and the Gunners have been the closest challengers to Manchester City in both seasons since. The Norwegian has led by example in many ways - creating many chances for the team, scoring goals and working tirelessly in and out of possession.

With Odegaard a core piece of the Arsenal midfield, at the age of 25, he looks to have a long and bright future ahead in north London. Appearances 156 Goals 35 Assists 25 Honours 1 - Community Shield (2023) Win Percentage (Premier League) 65.6% Passes Per Match (Premier League) 45.

95 Goals Per Match at Arsenal (Premier League) 0.25 1 Freddie Ljungberg Ljungberg's performance for Sweden against England in a European Championships qualifier in 1998 was so good that it convinced Arsene Wenger to sign the player. A goal on his debut against Manchester United showed everyone what he was capable of, and his immaculate timing of runs into the box so often put him in the right positions to score goals.

With players such as Dennis Bergkamp and Robert Pires able to pick out the perfect pass, Ljungberg scored big goals for the Gunners. He scored in the FA Cup final defeat to Liverpool in 2001, before repeating the trick a year later, as Arsenal won the 2002 final against Chelsea . His goals towards the end of the 2001-02 campaign were crucial, with Ljungberg netting six times in the final eight league games as Arsenal won the double.

He played a major part in Arsenal's success over the years, scoring the winning goal in the 2003 FA Cup semi-final against Sheffield United . He was a key member of the Invincibles team in 2004, as well as the 2005 FA Cup-winning team. Ljungberg moved to West Ham United in 2007, but his best days were spent with Arsenal.

After returning as a coach at the club, he took over as interim manager when Unai Emery was sacked in 2019. His only win as manager was a 3-1 win against his former team West Ham in December 2019, with Mikel Arteta taking over later that month. Appearances 328 Goals 72 Assists 40 Honours 6 - Premier League x2 (2002, 2004), FA Cup x3 (2002, 2003 and 2005), Charity Shield x1 (1999) Win Percentage (Premier League) 55.

56% Goals Per Match at Arsenal (Premier League) 0.21 Statistics via Transfermarkt and Premier League - accurate up until 19/9/2024. Erling Haaland is one of the most unique strikers the Premier League has ever seen, but what makes him so special?.