Arsene Wenger says Tony Adams’ intelligence and “strong pride” made him the perfect Arsenal captain.

The former England defender was handed the armband in 1988, aged just 21, and would go on to lift 10 major trophies with the Gunners, becoming the only player in English football to captain a title-winning side in three different decades.

Adams was honoured with a statue outside Emirates Stadium and, to celebrate the legendary defender’s 49th birthday this week, Wenger revealed what made him the best person to lead Arsenal for 14 years.

"They always surprised you and they were always much better than you predicted they would be" Arsene Wenger

“First of all he was a very intelligent player who could analyse very well what was going on during the game,” he told Arsenal Player. “He could use his qualities and intelligence to use them at a optimum level.

“He was a mixture of a laid-back player who was very fierce and strong pride. He could always find that when he was bad like he had a bad ankle you wondered if he could play at the day of a competition.

“This is the guy that always found the resources to be at his best. This was the brand of the back four when I arrived, they were all the same and like that. You wondered sometimes during the week if they would be available but they always surprised you and they were always much better than you predicted they would be.”