Five of the best players to play for Inter and Arsenal | OneFootball

Inter Milan face Arsenal in the Champions League this evening, a clash between two teams with storied histories.

Throughout the years several star names have adorned the colours of both clubs and we’ve picked out five of the best to have represented both Inter and Arsenal.

Five of the best players to play for Inter and Arsenal

Dennis Bergkamp

Dennis Bergkamp endured two frustrating seasons at Inter Milan, with the forward unable to replicate the performances that saw him coveted at Ajax. Inter struggled in Serie A during his first season and avoided relegation by just a single point.

Europe offered improvement, however, as Inter won the UEFA Cup with Bergkamp the joint-leading scorer in the competition (8). The Dutchman ended that first season with 18 goals in all competitions but his output declined during a second season punctuated by injuries and managerial upheaval.

Inter were prepared to sell the striker in 1996 and Arsenal signed Bergkhamp in a club-record £7.25m deal. After a slow start, Bergkamp grew in influence and was instrumental in the club’s 1997/98 title-winning campaign, where he was named PFA Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year.

He scored 120 goals in 423 appearances for the Gunners across a decade that saw him collect three Premier League titles and three FA Cup trophies. Often credited with transforming the Arsenal brand in the Premier League era, a statue of Bergkamp now sits outside the Emirates Stadium.

Nwankwo Kanu

Nwankwo Kanu followed the trail Bergkamp blazed after swapping Ajax for Inter Milan. Part of the exciting Ajax side of the mid-nineties, the Nigerian’s time at Inter delivered just 17 appearances after a heart defect was detected.

Arsenal signed Kanu in February 1999 and the forward earned cult status in North London. With wonderful technique and unpredictability, Kanu formed part of the club’s title-winning teams in 2002 and 2004. He scored 44 goals in 197 games for Arsenal, including a famous hat-trick as the Gunners recovered from two goals down to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Patrick Vieira

Arguably the greatest midfielder in Arsenal’s history, Patrick Vieira was the driving force of the best teams of the Arsene Wenger era. A relative unknown when arriving from AC Milan, he evolved into an all-encompassing midfield presence in North London and drove Arsenal towards three Premier League titles.

The captain of the club’s ‘Invincibles’ side, Vieira also lifted four FA Cups with the club before his transfer to Juventus in 2005. A year later, he joined Inter Milan after Juventus were relegated amid the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal.

Vieira’s four seasons with Inter brought four consecutive Scudetti as the Nerazzurri emerged as Serie A’s dominant force.

Lukas Podolski

Lukas Podolski was a fan favourite during his two-season spell with Arsenal, having arrived from FC Koln in an £11m deal. With a thunderous left foot and clear delight in representing the North Londoners, the Arsenal fans took to Podolski.

He scored 31 times in 82 games for Arsenal before leaving on loan for Inter Milan after seeing his role reduced at the Emirates. Podolski’s time in Italy was a disappointment, however, as he netted just once in 18 games.

Alexis Sanchez

Alexis Sanchez produced the best football of his career in an Arsenal shirt. A big-name signing from Barcelona, the Chilean tore up the Premier League across his four seasons in North London. Sanchez struck 80 goals in 166 games to emerge as one of English football’s best talents.

He left under a cloud after moving to Manchester United in a controversial swap deal that saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan (another shared Arsenal and Inter player) move in the opposite direction.

After struggling at Manchester United, Sanchez signed for Inter Milan on an initial loan deal that was turned permanent. He scored 20 times in 109 appearances before leaving for Marseille, only to return for a short second stint in 2023/24.

Read – Inter Milan vs Arsenal – Combined XI ahead of San Siro clash

See more – Iconic Performances: Thierry Henry’s irresistible display at Inter

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