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| | Sunday, 12 January, 2003, 18:27 GMT Henry the Premiership's best?  Thierry Henry scores his 100th goal for Arsenal in the Gunners' 4-0 drubbing of Birmingham City. Is he the best striker to have played in the Premiership? This debate is now closed. See below for a selection of your comments. Awesome. It's not just his goal count, it's as much the style. Like Bergcamp he scores spectacular goals and is a joy to watch. Simply, he is one highly paid entertainer who gives good value, no matter what team you support. As to the heading issue, it's a nonsense; because Arsenal don't play that kind of game. The ball is mainly at the feet. Look at the record, they hardly get any goals from headers. In terms of all-round ability, Henry is unquestionably one of, and quite possibly the best striker to ever grace the Premiership. His heading is his only obvious weak point, but then he does so many things that most strikers can't. He is a joy to watch, and I hope he stays in England for as long as possible.
Ankie Renique, UK Henry is certainly hugely impressive as a forward; especially when you consider that he started out as a winger and had to adapt to the role. However, I think he has some way to go to be considered as good as Shearer when looking at his career as a whole. Henry hasn't shown us yet how he would react or adapt his game to a serious injury let alone several as Shearer has done. Plus he hasn't been tested in the role of senior player or captain; which Shearer certainly has. Once he goes through these sorts of trials and still bags 30 odd goals a season then I think we'll be able to say that he's in the same class as Shearer. I reckon he'll do it. Frankly, I am baffled by most of the comments below. Obviously Thierry is good. However, Ruud scored more goals than any other Premiership striker last season, took the Champions League golden boot and has a strike rate better than any other player who has ever played in the Premiership. Sure Henry is at the top of his game at the moment and is playing excellent football but will he be able to continue playing with such perfection like Shearer still is? I don't believe anyone will be better than Alan over such a period. The best striker ever in the Premiership? Maybe, but there are others who would run him close: Shearer, van Nistelrooy, Owen, Wright. A more solid claim could be made for him being the most effective player and on that front he stands shoulder to shoulder with Cantona as his only Premiership peer. For excitement, he compares to the world's best. Henry is simply the best. With his level of performance he can easily add another century in the next two seasons. Henry is a formidable striker, and one of the finest players I have had the privilege to watch in action. However, speak to any Arsenal fan and they will tell you that they wished he could score a few with head. Oh well, nobody's perfect I suppose! Thierry's ton has come in just 159 starts for the Gunners, and has contained as many 20-yard scorchers as 2-yard tap-ins. His devastating combination of pace and trickery have made him the most feared marksman in the country. And at just 25, he might be on course to eclipse Ian Wright's Gunners' goalscoring record of 185. His century surely puts him in the Premiership's Hall of Fame alongside the likes of Cantona, Shearer and Klinsmann. How does Henry rate against the Premiership's greatest ever strikers?
Thierry Henry is the best striker in the world at the moment. His vision and magical dribbles makes defences vulnerable. His weakness though is that he is not the best goal scorer, but that is negligible if you consider the positive aspects he has over his rivals. He creates chances for himself as well as others, like Ronaldo, while other strikers expect to be fed balls for them to score. You would be amazed to hear of how many goals would be attributed to him but scored by ohters. He does perform better even when Arsenal give a dismal display. He is absolutely wonderful and I expect more from him. I adore King Henry! I believe Henry is simply the best striker in the world. Look at his amazing pace and the way he confuses defenders when he is on the ball. One would say a soccer wizard was born 25 years ago. I think Henry has matured into a class of his own. He has such electrifying abilities and can combine fun and purpose in the field, making things he does sometimes seem so ridiculously easy. He is such an excitement to watch. He is the best striker ever to play in the Premier League. Henry is an amazing player, like Ali with boxing, Henry is an entertainer the likes of which have never been seen. The man puts the fear of God into opposing teams and runs rings around them. At the moment, I would say he is definitely one of the best in the world without doubt. Nistelrooy is very good yes, but no way is he as good as Henry. How many goals does Van have? Nine. He is playing badly and in the game against Blackburn he missed a sitter, the wind could have blown it in. When you have fans from other teams complimenting him and talking about him almost as if he was in their team, you know he is highly regarded by both professionals and loyal fans. He's doing well against teams like Birmingham, but not Man Utd. When he scores the winner in a European Cup final, like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer or Zinedine Zidane then we can discuss greatness. It's the toughest tournament in the world and it is the measure of the striker. He's the best at the moment no contest, on a par with Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten. May the "Va va voom" continue! Is Steve from the UK watching the same sport as the rest of us? While he makes valid points about Andy Cole's winners medals and Shearer's legacy, I don't think there's a club in the world who wouldn't have Henry at the drop of a hat, including Alex Ferguson. People are getting carried away about how good he is. Greatness stems from seizing the moment in big against big teams. If Henry scores a hat-trick in the Champions League final against the likes of Real Madrid, then one can call him great. Henry's the best striker ever in the Premiership but not the best goalscorer. Wright was the best there is at that but Henry is a more skilful all round player. How can you criticise him on the World Cup? He played one game and 10 minutes. George Best never even went to the World Cup and is widely recognised as one of the best players ever. The English Premiership is becoming very similar to the scene we have here in Scotland. I watched Birmingham v Arsenal and it was the same as watching Rangers or Celtic play the lower lights in Scotland. It was just a training match for Arsenal, who didn't seem to break sweat at any time. Not good for the future.
Henry is without peer in the Premiership and should have won the European Player of the year last year. My only regret is that he probably won't play in the Spanish league. Henry has often said the player he admires most is Raul, can you imagine the two of them playing with Zidane and Figo! I thought that I was the only person thrilled by Henry's ability to score goals! To me he is everything that soccer fans want to see. Henry's had almost six times as many chances as Bergkamp to get to 100. Henry's a quality player and I love him as an Arsenal player, but best 100 goals ever, I don't think so. The difference between Van Nistelrooy and Henry can be summarised in the following quote: "Talent does what it can, genius does what it must." Let's applaud the talent of Ruud Van Nistelrooy. I'm an avid fan of the English Premier League and an enthusiastic supporter of Arsenal. Henry's performance in the Premier League is of great standard, his skills and passion for the game, showcase him as one of the best French soccer players, if not the best player of all time, to don the red jersey for Arsenal. Well done Henry!!
I have been an Arsenal fan for over thirty years. Thierry Henry is the best striker I have ever seen play for the Gunners. His pace, skill and imagination are far above anyone else currently playing in the Premiership. He will give us many more brilliant moments in his sensational career. Anyone who comes to England as a winger and within three years becomes and out and out striker, scoring a hundred goals in three years is probably the best striker we have seen in the Premiership as yet. Henry is an all round player with the finest finishing and dribbling skills. He is the best in the Premiership and even Europe!!! Henry has vision, tricks and is difficult to shake off the ball. That makes him the best striker in the Premiership. He is not only a striker, but also a team player. Hats off to Henry. Henry is over-rated. He scores a lot of goals at Arsenal because he plays in a good team against often poor defences. His international record, the true test, is less good. His World Cup record, amounting to getting sent off against Denmark is not impressive. Any decent defender worth his salt should be able to keep him in check. He also can't head, misses too many penalties and has irritating goal-scoring celebrations!
Henry is clearly one of the deadliest strikers in the world, and will probably only get better as the years go by. Don't you dare sell him Arsene! Henry is simply the best striker I have ever known. 100 goals in 159 appearances at 25 is mind boggling! Comparing him to Van Nistelrooy is ridiculous because the latter is only a finisher and not a creator of goals. 25 goals in 42 European games says it all. That's class. The guy is on a different level. You know he's a bit special when you read Man Utd and Liverpool fans compliments to him. Henry is awesome, but on his bad days he is poor. FA Cup 2001 for instance. He is not as clinical as Van Nistelrooy but much better to watch. Don't underestimate the part Bergkamp has to his game though. The thing that stands out regarding Henry's century is that most of the goals were good goals, he rarely gets a tap in or a deflection they are all goals of real quality. He isn't as good as the likes of Shearer and Van Nistelrooy as he can't head the ball and to be a true penalty box king he needs to add that string to his bow.
Sol Campbell scored more goals in the 2002 World Cup than Henry! I think it is hard to call him the title of best striker In the Premiership. He is a superb striker in a superb team though! Gerald, Kenya The best goal scorer in the Premiership is by far Alan Shearer. And Van Nistelrooy is better than Henry as Henry has yet to prove his ability against real competition on the European stage. I might add he had a dismal World Cup too! Cantona had a number of intangibles, cool arrogance, the captain's armband and his 'kung-fu' tendency, that Henry cannot match. However, from a simple standpoint of connecting ball and goal, Henry is far better. What must Juventus be thinking?
To talk about the best striker we should take the whole team into account. Arsenal have been the team to beat for the last two or three years. They play beautiful, attacking football and consequently score a lot of goals. That might be why Henry scored the same number of goals as Bergkamp in a limited time. Henry's better than Ronaldo and the most exciting striker of them all. A truly naturally gifted player with a lot of vision, flair, pace, power and skill. With Pires at his side, Arsenal will win the Premiership and hopefully the Champions League. Be warned Real Madrid! Henry's pace not only troubles the opposition but is running the assistant referees ragged! In fact many of the offside calls against him are wrong, the linesmen usually can't match his timing. In Uganda, the Arsenal support is a legion and Henry is worshipped. Henry is starting to show that he could be one of the legends of the game. He is undoubtedly one of the best strikers in the world at the moment but to become a great he will still need to netting a hatful in five years time. The season-to-season consistency of Shearer or Wright is what he must aim for. Henry is a magnificent player and I would love him in my side, but he is not a true striker. Ruud van Nistelrooy is far more clinical and gets into the danger areas a lot more than Henry. Together they would be awesome, but Ruud would have the most goals therefore the better striker. Henry is a quality player and is very much on form, but he still needs to become more of a team player to be complete.
Big Al, UK Arsenal are the best side in Europe when Henry is sparkling. Arsenal play for him because they know he will finish the stuff they work hard for. A great striker who is beginning to move even Van Basten out of my all time list. I hope he breaks Ian's Wright's record, he deserves to. Alongside Ian Wright and Alan Shearer, Henry is one of the Premiership's finest strikers... even though he is a winger! Calling Henry the best striker in the world is a bit premature. I agree he is the best in the Premiership, but the world? I don't think so. Who did Henry play against on Sunday? Birmingham City. To be the best in the world you have to succeed in Italy or Spain and also for your national team. Henry maybe the in-form striker at the moment, but the greatest striker on the planet is Ronaldo. Henry will need to convince me when the knockout stages start in the Champions League. If he can't succeed then all the people calling him the best in the world will have egg on their face. Henry is the best striker in the premiership, if not the world at the moment. He has everything the perfect striker needs. No one else at the moment even comes close to his ability.
No, simple as that. Van Nistelrooy has a better goal ratio and Shearer a better legacy. Even Andy Cole has more winner's medals! Cantona controlled the flow of a game better and Bergkamp has a more sophisticated touch. Hasselbaink and a lot of other Premiership striker are better in the box and Owen can outrun Henry. You can't call him the best ever after a good 18 months. Remember his first year, when even six yards out he'd miss by a mile. When he'd run up and down a pitch like a rabbit caught in headlights. To call Henry the best ever is to simply judge a player by his "va va voom!" Henry is the number one in the Premiership, there is not doubt about it. He is the most complete player in the world today. His outstanding skill, vision, eye for goal, devastating pace and trickery can tear apart any defence in the world. He will be Arsenal's best ever in the years to come! His ability to partner any player is also a factor in his success! He is the best! I salute King Henry. Henry might become the greatest striker the Premiership has ever seen. He still has ample time to improve even more. I think his team-mate Dennis Bergkamp is in a class of his own though. Bergkamp is possibly the greatest living striker, but Henry is right there up with him. I think Henry should have at least won European player of the year! Thierry Henry is quite clearly head and shoulders above anyone else in Europe at the moment. Granted, he is surrounded by other players of great quality, but his pace, athleticism and ability to create chances for both himself and others guarantees he keeps Arsenal striding ahead of the rest of the pack.
Henry's simply the best striker in the world that's for sure. Comparing Henry to 'Van the man' is quite ridiculous as we should be comparing this super-human striker to the likes of Pele and Maradonna. I salute you Henry for giving us so many wonderful moments of pure genius. You are simply "The Best." And I'm a Man Utd fan! Give him five more years and it will not even be a debate at his current pace. My hat is off, to a prolific striker with a knack for goals, earning every cent of what he is paid and more. Well, the facts are there for us all to see. 100 goals in 159 starts at the highest level is remarkable. Approximately a goal in every 1.6 games. Henry surely has set the heights for all rising strikers to follow. He is undoubtedly the number one marksman in this league. Henry is far and away the best striker in the Premier League, his pace, skill and finishing abilities make him the best in the world in my opinion. I have no doubt that he will end up record goalscorer in the Premiership. Shearer is the only one that comes close to being as prolific as Henry but think how many years Henry has left over Shearer! It's scary!!
It's still too early for him to be the greatest ever Premiership striker but if he carries on this way I won't be surprised if ten years from now the question here will be "is Henry the best footballer ever." Henry should have been awarded the European player award not Ronaldo. With age at his advantage Henry is going thrive in Europe. Indeed he is the best since Cantona and Shearer. I'm a Liverpool fan but Thierry Henry would walk into any team in the world. He's simply amazing and tears defences apart with ease Henry is superb. Shearer was good in his day but he doesn't compare to Henry. Even the greatest managers in the world rate Henry as the best. Viva le Henry!
Henry is the best in the Premiership...in Europe...in the world. He has everything. Pace, power, skill and he can finish. Defenders fear him because of his pace an skill. He can score free kicks. He has everything a striker needs. He's still has five or six years in him and if he spends all of them at Arsenal, he will beat Ian Wright's record for sure. Henry is an absolutely awesome talent who has everything a manager needs from a striker. Maybe his one weakness is his non-ability to head the ball, but he has many other strengths that outweigh this weakness! He is well and truly the best striker in the Premiership! Shearer is still the best and will be for another year or two. He can put them in from anywhere and create goals too. Henry is almost the Premiership's best. If he could head the ball he would be one of the greatest! Van Nistelrooy has a habit of diving, and his finishing dominates his attributes. Shearer is exceptional also, but more of a leader than a pure goal scorer. Strikers of the past have been great too but players like Wright, Cole, Yorke, never put so much fear into the opposition as Henry.
The best way to tell is to see how relieved you feel when you're facing Arsenal and you hear he's not playing! Henry is not the Premiership's best striker- Ruud van Nistelrooy is. Henry is undoubtedly one of the most skilful players in the Premier League. Besides he has the drive to get more dangerous with each passing game. For those of us who think Henry is the best striker to have played in the Premiership, I don't think we have seen the best from him yet. Henry isn't just a great goal scorer - he makes goals for others and also has breathtaking speed, vision and, of course, a real team player. He is, in short, simply magical! Thierry Henry is the best striker in the Premiership. He has pace, magic and the finishing ability. He is not too old and will be destroying defences for several more years. At the moment Henry and Alan Shearer would be a dream attack. | | 
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With his level of performance he can easily add another century in the next two seasons
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