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16th Dec 2015

Thierry Henry overlooks Messi, Zidane and Xavi as he names the best player he’s ever played with

Tough call

Darragh Murphy

He must have given this some serious thought.

One glance at the names alongside whom Thierry Henry has played will prove just how difficult it would have been to pick a number one.

Barcelona v Xerez CD - La Liga

The Frenchman was asked for the best player he’s played with and he had the likes of Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldinho, Patrick Vieira, Robert Pires, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Carles Puyol, Yaya Toure and Samuel Eto’o to pick from.

But there’s one name missing from the above list and he’s the very man that Henry opted for in a Facebook Q & A on Tuesday night.

BIRMINGHAM - JANUARY 12: Thierry Henry of Arsenal celebrates scoring his 100th goal for Arsenal with Dennis Bergkamp of Arsenal during the FA Barclaycard Premiership match between Birmingham City and Arsenal held on January 12, 2003 at St Andrews in Birmingham, England. Arsenal won the match 4-0. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

“Because of longevity, and because I saw him every day in training for seven years, Dennis Bergkamp,” Henry said.

“Why? Because he was always doing what the game was asking him to do.

“I admired how Dennis was always trying to respect the game. He could score but he could also pass and wait for the right moment…he was always trying to respect the game when he could do other stuff. I respected him a lot for that but also the way he trained. The way he used to train was just not normal. The guy didn’t want to lose the ball; he would foul you; get in your face; he wants to be first in the run.

“But then I have to mention the freaks..Leo is a freak. I think you guys [fans] do not understand what the guy is doing. Him, Zizou, all these guys, you cannot do what they do, because it’s not humanly possible.”