The incredible Arsenal, Celtic and Man Utd team-mates who John Hartson just picked in his all-time XI

The Wales legend has selected the best players who he has played with - and it is some team...

Wales striker John Hartson enjoyed a marvellous career at some of the biggest clubs in the land.

Spells with Arsenal, West Ham and Celtic, as well as 51 caps with Wales, has seen the Swansea boy rub shoulders with some stellar stars in football.

As such, when he picked his all-time best XI he's played with, a number of huge names who have graced the highest level of the game cropped up. And Big John more than held his own with those men, too.

In his column for the BBC, Hartson went with the following line-up...

Keeper

In between the sticks, Hartson went for Gunners stopper David Seaman. "At Arsenal we'd do shooting practice on Friday afternoons and Seaman used to stop everything. His attitude was top class as well - he used to be mad when you beat him. And it always took a brilliant finish to do it. The size of the big fella's hands, no wonder he stopped so may shots."

Defence

Hartson also played with some seriously good defenders over the course of his career.

At right-back he plumped for Lee Dixon, who he shared a dressing room with at Highbury. He got the nod over Celtic's Didier Agathe.

At left-back he chose his former international team-mate Gary Speed. "I've gone with a midfielder who played left-back as captain for Wales. It's tragic that Gary took his own life. He was so popular, everybody loved him. I still feel goosebumps talking about him because I have so much admiration for him as a player and person. Magnificent footballer and played left-back no problem for the good of the team."

At centre-back, Hartson went for two of the finest to have played the game in the modern era. Tony Adams and Rio Ferdinand were at opposite ends of their careers when Hartson featured alongside them, but both were true masters of their art.

"Adams was a real leader of men," Hartson wrote.

"He was the Arsenal skipper, tough as old boots. It's not easy to lead, but he was born for it. Tony would do things and people would just follow. And what he's gone on to do with his Sporting Chance clinic has helped thousands of young footballers with addictions. He can be really proud of himself and is 26 years clean now from alcohol."

Ferdinand, who came through the ranks at Upton Park, Hartson described as "a Rolls-Royce of a player" - and it's hard to disagree.

Central midfield

In the middle of the park, Hartson went for a Hammers-Hoops combination, Frank Lampard and Stiliyan Petrov. Hartson admits he was surprised by the former's rise and his rapid career trajectory.

"Frank had great potential but I wasn't sure he would go on to become the great player he did," he admitted. "He perfected the art of making runs into the box and was a brilliant striker of the ball."

On Petrov, he said: "I absolutely loved playing with Petrov at Celtic. He could tackle, get up and down, was technically excellent. Hristo Stoichkov is on record saying Petrov is the greatest ever Bulgarian footballer, which is some praise."

Left and right midfield

Only one choice on the left. "Giggsy (Ryan Giggs) has to be in. The most decorated player in British football history, and Man United's record appearance holder. Sir Alex Ferguson dismantled and rebuilt the United team four or five times, but Giggs was a constant. I played with him for Wales for 10 years and his quality shone through."

On the opposite flank he went for Paul Merson, who he said had an "almost telepathic" understanding with Ian Wright.

Strikers

Up front Hartson selected "the two greatest talents I played with" - Henrik Larsson and Dennis Bergkamp.

Larsson, he describes, was "great in the air, deceptively quick and could get across people. Just an outstanding player" and used a lovely turn of phrase to describe Dutchman Bergkamp.

"If Bergkamp played in the snow, he wouldn't leave any footprints," he said.

"That's the balance he had. He was just silky, everything he did was class. And he scored ridiculous goals. His 100 best - every one of them could be a goal of the season contender. He was that good. A really humble guy off the pitch, so strong on it. Words can't describe how good he was."

Team in full: Seaman; Dixon, Adams, Ferdinand, Speed; Merson, Lampard, Petrov, Giggs; Larsson, Bergkamp.