Around mid 2000's and especially around 2004-2006, the media would hype up Thierry Henry to be the best footballer not only in England, but the world. I remember the countless discussions and debates on talksport and on the BBC 606 forum regarding just how supposedly great Thierry Henry supposedly was. There were huge comparisons with Wayne Rooney but to me Henry was simply an arrogant bully. Thierry Henry had enormous pace and i believe that was his main attribute. He needed plenty of space in behind teams to work his one trick pony stuff. Against thick teams like little Fulham -it worked but against good teams like italian teams of that era then he was completeky nullified like in the 2006 world cup final.He certainly didn't have the technical ability and intelligence as Wayne Rooney had in huge abundance. Wayne Rooney was a phenomenon who, if he hadn't got injured at Stamford Bridge back in April 2006, would surely have been mentioned alongside Ronaldo and Messi as the greatest player of that generation. I believe Rooney could have surpassed both of them. Remember back in November 2005 when he ran rings around the great Roberto Ayala and completely outshone both Messi and Riquelme as he led England to a 3-2 win over Argentina in a very competetive friendly match. How about in Euro 2004 when he completely outshone Zidane until the disastrous last minute and injury time when David James and Heskey threw it away.

Wayne Rooney was a footballer head and shoulders above Henry in terms of pure footballing attribute. I also blame Sir Alex because he didn't let Rooney play with freedom. Wayne was selfless in just how committed he was in helping the cause...often tracking back to the left back position to help out. Just an outstanding talent who was handled disastrously.

I believe he would have been Englands answer to Maradona and single-handedly won England a world cup if he had been handeled correctly and not been injured back in April 2006

As far as Henry is concerned...not good enough to even lace Waynes boots.

Comparing Thierry "aloof" and "arrogant" Henry to Wayne Rooney is like comparing dog poo to Ice Cream.

Why don't you get off the fence Robert, and tell us what you really think?

Dad and I watched games standing on the muddy slope of the Holmesdale Road end. He cheered and I rattled.

It was more than a decade ago, I though something had happened between them now....

However, to say that Henry didn't have the technically ability or intelligence is just plan wrong.

Both world class but who would I want, at their best, in our squad, for the upcoming season???

Henry...

"You can lead a horse to water but a pencil must be lead"

Stan Laurel

There was a time when there was a debate about the relative merits of Rooney, compared to Ronaldo.

Ronaldo moved on to genuine greatness whereas Rooney stagnated in comparison.

I think Rooney did not fulfil his full potential.
Whether it was because of a lack of commitment on his part or poor management of his career or both, who knows.

I think Rooney should have been let loose to be a real 100% striker. He did score a lot of goals but his strike rate could have been prodigious.

I think most would choose Henry over Rooney.

Edited by Eaglehamster (06 Aug 2021 5.20pm)

I have now sufficient funds to last me the rest of my life. Provided I don't buy anything.

Another gauge would be, who would you want in your management team.

I think I saw a "report" in the click bait news that Henry was leaving the Belgium setup up to come and give Vieira a hand..

Can you imagine. You may as well remove the entrance door to the Academy and put water stations all along the road outside to deal with the queues of young players trying to get in.

"You can lead a horse to water but a pencil must be lead"

Stan Laurel

Look at Jimmy Greaves England record.
Goals per game and goals per minute blow everyone else out of the water.
None of his England goals were penalties either.
That's a ridiculous talent.