Why Thierry Henry Will Go Down as the Greatest Striker in Premier League History

When Arsenal were deciding which pose to cast Thierry Henry’s statue in—to be located outside the Emirates Stadium—they faced a problem. The French striker had a trademark style, playing the game with the swagger of complete self-assurance, but never a trademark goal. No signature move. But that is what made Henry so great. He was a master of all styles, all goals.

Henry’s statue was eventually cast to commemorate the striker’s famous goal against Spurs back in the 2002/03 season—with the Frenchman perched upright on his knees, fists clenched like a boxer with the poise of a ballet dancer.

Now that statue stands as testament to Henry’s glittering career, which officially came to a close with the striker’s announcement, via the BBC, that he was retiring from football on Tuesday. The eulogies have been rolling since, and rightfully so. Henry is the greatest striker to have ever played in the Premier League.

Henry came to define Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal dynasty at its very best. When the North London club was invincible, the striker was the club’s most unbeatable player. At a time when the Gunners are scrambling for legends in a new age, Henry is a true Arsenal—and Premier League—great.

“What makes him so special?” Wenger once pondered, as per Arsenal.com.. “He has a mixture of physical talent and technical ability, as well as remarkable intelligence and above all a great passion for the game.” Indeed, it’s questionable whether English football will see a player as smart and shrewd as Henry ever again.

So who are the rivals to Henry’s crown as the Premier League’s best striker? The Frenchman’s statue stands outside the Emirates Stadium alongside that of a former teammate’s—Dennis Bergkamp.

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The Non-Flying Dutchman is arguably the best technical operator Arsenal has ever had, with his famous goal against Newcastle demonstrating every one of his significant qualities—anticipation, awareness, astounding first-touch and, of course, tranquility in front of goal.

And yet, for all his obvious class Bergkamp never quite matched up to Henry—a comparison made easier by the fact that they played together for the best part of a decade. The French striker was Arsenal’s top billing, even if Bergkamp was too good to be the supporting act.

Some will argue that Eric Cantona should be regarded as the best striker to have ever played in the Premier League. But the former Manchester United forward’s goalscoring record doesn’t come close to Henry’s—with Cantona scoring 64 goals in 143 appearances compared to Henry’s 174 goals in 254 appearances.

It is true that Cantona’s impact at Old Trafford may have outweighed Henry’s at Arsenal, with the arrival of the Frenchman at United setting the course for Sir Alex Ferguson’s dynasty at the club, but it could never be claimed that Cantona possessed anything close to Henry’s natural ability as a footballer.

“He is a wizard with his feet and is blessed with a gift for scoring goals,” Henry’s French national team teammate Lillian Thuram once mused, as per the Telegraph: “His best quality is his speed while the ball is at his feet. He may be the fastest man ever to lace up a football boot. No defender in the world can keep up with him.”

MANU FERNANDEZ/Associated Press

Even the shameful handball against Republic of Ireland in 2009 shouldn’t diminish the shimmer of Henry’s illustrious career—which saw him claim pretty much every accolade in the sport. He became revered at Barcelona as well as at the New York Red Bulls after leaving Arsenal, but it is in the Premier League where the striker’s legend is most fabled.

Henry changed English football. The Frenchman revolutionised the way strikers were thought of in the Premier League. He showed that the position was about more than just sticking away crosses in the six-yard box. Henry brought a certain art to the role of striker without curtailing his effectiveness.

The antipathy held towards Henry in his homeland is a peculiar quirk of the striker’s career, but his impact on the Premier League should never be understated. Henry wasn’t just the best, but the most important striker the English top-flight has ever had.