"The guy delivers" - Thierry Henry chooses between Real Madrid attacker Vinicius Jr and Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli

Arsenal icon Thierry Henry has hailed Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior as the best left-winger in the world but reckons Gabriel Martinelli could give him a run for his money.

Vinicius fired on all cylinders as Real Madrid beat Chelsea 2-0 in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on Wednesday (April 12). Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio were on the scoresheet for Los Blancos, but Vinicius played a key role in both goals.

His rebound allowed Benzema a straightforward tap-in in the 21st minute. In the 74th minute, he played a square pass to Asensio on the edge of the box, leading to the Spaniard’s goal.

Henry was impressed with the 22-year-old’s stellar display against Chelsea and dubbed him the best left winger in the world. When Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher asked him whether or not Vinicius was the best in his position, the former Arsenal superstar replied on CBS Sports:

“Yes. At the moment, yes.”

Henry then gave a special shoutout to Gabriel Martinelli, saying that he has the quality to challenge the Real Madrid man in the future:

“You have guys that are doing okay at Arsenal in the Premier League. Martinelli is coming.”

Explaining why he thinks Vinicius is the best left winger currently, Henry said:

“In the last two years, Vinicius Jr has been solid. Do you know why I would give him being ahead of others? Where he is coming from. From an unwanted guy in a dressing room to a guy that gets kicked around every time he plays the game. Getting booed by the fans. Abused in pre-season. Again, the guy delivers."

Henry continued:

“They try to kick him. They wanted him out of the dressing room. He delivers. Now, it looks a tiny bit like his team, although Benzema would have a word to say about that, but the two of them are brilliant.”

Both Vinicius and Martinelli have enjoyed their football this season. While the Real Madrid forward has scored 21 times and claimed 16 assists in 45 games, Martinelli has netted 14 times and provided five assists in 40 outings.

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Real Madrid enter race to sign Arsenal target Dusan Vlahovic

Arsenal have long been linked with Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic. According to The Boot Room, the Gunners wanted to sign the Serb in January, but the move fell through. They're expected to return for him this summer.

If CalcioMercatoWeb’s latest report is anything to go by, the Premier League leaders could have a tough time landing Vlahovic, though. That's because Real Madrid are also in the fray, as they view him as Karim Benzema’s potential successor.

According to reports, Vlahovic is unhappy at Juventus and could leave this summer, despite contracted till June 2026. The former Fiorentina man has played 52 games for the Bianconeri since January 2022, scoring 20 times and claiming six assists.