Alan Smith reckons that Thierry Henry is the best player to have played in the Premier League and he proceeded to talk about how Henry made top-class opponents look completely inferior to him.
Henry joined Arsenal as a winger after struggling to get going in the Italian league with Juventus.
However, he would soon be turned into a centre forward by Arsene Wenger and the Frenchman would go on to break several goal-scoring records and become the sixth top goalscorer in Premier League history.
Several players can be said to be the best player that has ever played in the Premier League but Smith reckons that Henry is the player who deserves that accolade.
He also hailed Henry’s strike partners during his playing days and claims that it is hard to see another array of attacking stars better than Arsenal’s at the time.
He told Sky Sports: “Henry is the best player I have ever seen ply his trade in this country. Not just the best striker, but the best player, due to the fact that I saw him do things no one else has done.
“He reduced top-class opponents into helpless also-rans. He totally embarrassed seasoned professionals with his outrageous pace, strength, skill and confidence. In short, he elevated the striker’s art on to a level not seen before or since.
“On top of that, the Frenchman teamed up with a player blessed with astonishing ability, whose creative genes dovetailed perfectly with all that Gallic swagger. [Dennis] Bergkamp’s sort do not come around too often. The Dutchman’s dedication set new examples at Arsenal and his quality on matchdays lit up English football.
“To be honest, I cannot think of another strike partnership in the history of the game that has boasted quite so much lavish talent. Some statement, I know, but I think it’s true.”
