Arsenal kicked off their Premier League 2024-25 campaign against Wolves in style, winning 2-0 comfortably at the Emirates on Saturday, 17th August.
They picked up exactly where they had left off last season, in control for large parts of the game—18 shots taken, six on target with 53% of the possession. It was Bukayo Saka who stole the headlines with one goal and one assist, his superb cross for Kai Havertz leading to the opening goal.
The History Maker
However, it was William Saliba in defense—regal, confident, and dependable as always—who made Arsenal FC history in the match.
There is not much one can say about Saliba which hasn’t already been said, over and again. Easily one of the best defenders in world football right now, he helped make Arsenal’s defense better than any other club’s in the league last season. He was an essential cog in Arsenal’s title challenge, playing every single minute of the domestic campaign, and contributed heavily to David Raya’s Golden Glove award.
On Saturday, he walked into Arsenal’s history books by becoming the fastest player to 50 league wins in the famous Red-and-White strip. It has taken Saliba only 66 matches to achieve the feat, once again highlighting his importance to Mikel Arteta’s squad and to the club’s ambitions for silverware.
Who is William Saliba?
William Alain André Gabriel Saliba was born on 24th March, 2001 in Bondy, France. He began his youth career at AS Bondy, moving to FC Montfermeil in 2014, and then Saint-Étienne in 2016.
From there, he signed for Arsenal in 2019 but then spent his first years as an Arsenal player out on loan: first back at Saint-Étienne , then at Nice , and finally at Marseille where he was named Ligue 1’s Young Player of the Year and included in the Team of the Year.
For the past two seasons, he has been the beating heart of Arsenal’s defensive unit, helping them to two successive title challenges—his injury in the final months of the 2022-23 season one major reason why Arsenal fell away in the title race. He was included in the PFA Team of the Year for the Premier League in both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.
Fellow Members of the Elite Club
The record William Saliba surpassed on Saturday was previously held by Nacho Monreal, who achieved 50 wins in 70 appearances for Arsenal. Before Monreal, not surprisingly at all, are six members of the Invincibles squad: Kolo Touré , Edu , Sol Campbell , Gilberto Silva , Jens Lehmann , and Lauren .
Interestingly, current Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta sits joint eighth on the list, tied on 50 wins out of 77 appearances with Ben White and Martin Ødegaard.
Overall in the Premier League, 13 different players have reached 50 wins faster than Saliba, including: Phil Foden and Aymeric Laporte , Didier Drogba , Arjen Robben , Gabriel Jesus, Bernardo Silva, Ederson, and Alisson , Oleksandr Zinchenko , Petr Cech and Nemanja Vidic , and Naby Keita and Fabinho .