1) Thierry Henry – Ruud Van Nistelrooy
The Henry-Nistelrooy rivalry is no doubt the most memorable and the most talked about rivalry in the Premier League. Both strikers were absolutely vital to their club’s ambitions and competed for the Golden Boot award for 4 out of the 5 years the two played in England at the same time.
Henry arrived at Arsenal in 1999 as a young Frenchman who had a lot of potential. Wenger converted the winger into a striker and it proved to be a masterclass. Ferguson was also in search of a top striker and purchased Van Nistelrooy in 2001.
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In that season, Henry finished as top scorer with 24 goals as Arsenal won the league and Nistelrooy managed just 1 less with 23. The next season it was the United man who outdid his rival by claiming the golden boot and winning the Premier League title
But in 2003-04, there was absolutely no contest as Henry scored 30 goals, 10 more than Nistelrooy could manage and claimed the title with Arsenal going the entire season unbeaten. Nistelrooy was injured for most of the 04-05 season but they renewed their bout in the very next campaign.
Chelsea won the title in 2006 but Henry and Van Nistelrooy finished as Number 1 and 2 in the scoring charts. It truly was a special rivalry simply because of the longevity and the stakes that the two players were playing for.
