Former Arsenal midfielder Denilson has opened up on training with Thierry Henry at the club.
The Brazilian played for the Gunners between 2006 and 2013, so he played alongside some legendary Arsenal players, two of whom are Gilberto Silva and Henry.
He had the privilege of training with them and learning from some of the best players available in the Premier League.
He was speaking about his spell at the club in a recent interview and revealed Henry was not so keen on training extra hard and instead focused on other stuff, yet he did well in games.
The Brazilian said, as quoted by Sport Witness:
“I loved Henry. Gilberto Silva was a great player and friend. He helped me a lot from the moment I arrived at Arsenal. He talked to me, informed me, and corrected me on the pitch. Henry, on the other hand, wasn’t one for spending a lot of time doing incredible things in training.
“He preferred to go for massages or read a book. But on the pitch, he’d go off the charts and help solve games a lot.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
Henry was a generational talent and had enough gifts to influence games even if he did not train well.
Some players are like this, and the most important thing will always be how players perform in matches.
Other footballers are not the best trainers, but they are still effective during matches, which is why their managers cannot bench them.
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Some players are what we call naturally fit. Ian wright was probably another naturally fit player.
Denilson was also very forthcoming with his views regarding Arsene Wenger during his time at the club.
That would also be a good article for discussion.
Henry could do no wrong in my eyes and remains one of the most exciting players to have played in the world in my opinion.
What would he be worth in transfer money today?
A conservative £150 million?
What a player bro.
We talk about Messi and Ronaldo, but neither played like Henry. That change of pace he had, the way he glided across the pitch as if it were ice. Sends shivers up my spine just thinking about it.
I prefer to watch him over Messi for the feeling Henry gave me, but maybe that’s just me.
I’m probably going to be unpopular here, but he often didn’t deliver for Arsenal, especially in big European games