#1 Thierry Henry
Trending
The greatest striker to play in North London, and arguably the greatest to grace the Premier League, Thierry Henry has a statue at the home of the Gunners as a tribute everything he did for them.
Even though Henry had a tentative start to his career at Monaco, Wenger persisted with him and he won the ‘French Young Footballer’ award in 1996. His sparkling performances in the Champions League led to a call-up to the French national squad and he was a part of the World Cup-winning team in 1998. Henry, then a winger, joined Juventus from Monaco and his move did not go according to plan.
He was playing on the left wing, and his performances were poor. This led to him being almost written off as a player by the press.
Arsene Wenger, who knew of Henry’s potential from his time at Monaco, brought the pacy forward to North London, and converted the former wingman into a pure centre forward. The rest, as they say, is history. After taking a few games to warm up and settle down, Henry lit up the Premier League. The goals came pouring down like the proverbial English rain, and there was a hint of majesty to everything he did.
Henry scored a number of breathtaking goals of all types, and was, at his peak was the most complete striker in the world – strong, silky touch, clinical finishing, and so fast that if you blinked, he was gone. He ended up with a number of honours including 2 Premier Leagues, 3 FA cups, and 2 Community Sheilds.
He played a big part in the fabled 2003-04 season where Arsenal finished unbeaten, and he also won 4 Golden Boots with the Gunners.
And the man who gave Thierry Henry his debut? Arsene Wenger. The man who rescued Henry from his tough spell at Juventus? Arsene Wenger.
The man who converted him to a Center Forward? Arsene Wenger.
