Former Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand claimed that the consensus is “unanimous” on one Premier League icon that he faced in his career.
Rio Ferdinand broke the British record transfer fee for the second time in his career after he left Leeds United and signed for Manchester United in 2002.
The 46-year-old former United star had a long-lasting impact at Old Trafford and Ferdinand is considered one of the best Premier League defenders of all time.
A complete Rolls-Royce defender in his prime, Ferdinand excelled in the heart of defence and was a key player under legendary former manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
Ferdinand’s trophy haul at Old Trafford included lifting six Premier League titles, a Champions League title and two League Cups during Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign.
The United legend was part of the last Red Devils team to win the Premier League trophy in the 2012-13 campaign before Ferguson retired from management in 2013.
Ferdinand played under former United manager David Moyes in the following season before he left Old Trafford and signed for Queens Park Rangers in 2014.
Man Utd legend Rio Ferdinand explains the influence that Arsenal icon Thierry Henry had on defenders
Speaking on TNT Sports to Peter Crouch and Ally McCoist, Rio Ferdinand waxed lyrical about the legacy of former Arsenal and Barcelona striker Thierry Henry.
Thierry Henry is widely regarded as one of the best strikers of all time and the Arsenal legend is one of the best players in the history of the Premier League.
The 47-year-old Frenchman had a sensational spell with the Gunners during the height of the Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson rivalry in the Premier League.
Henry was an integral part of Arsene Wenger’s iconic ‘Invincibles’ side in the 2003-04 season and he lifted two Premier Leagues and three FA Cups with the Gunners.
Ferdinand named the former France international in his best three forwards in the Premier League’s history and admitted his fear of playing against Henry on the pitch.
“On the left wing, I think everyone’s unanimous in saying that Thierry Henry is in their team,” he said.
“That just about says everything you need to know about him. I think he’s one player…
“I’ve seen a lot of players talk about this, he’s one player in my career who the night before probably kept you up a bit.”
Sir Alex Ferguson’s feelings on Premier League legend Thierry Henry summed up the major impact he had on Man Utd vs Arsenal rivalry
Ferguson admitted that Arsene Wenger’s decision to sign Thierry Henry from Juventus in 1999 sparked a turning point in his relationship with the ex-Arsenal boss.
“It became toxic for a while,” he said in the ‘Arsene Wenger: Invincible’ documentary, as per The Daily Mirror in 2021.
“The big change that made Arsenal was reinventing [Thierry] Henry. And the goals… he was fantastic.
“You’re always looking in the rear-view mirror to see who’s coming up behind you, and when you see someone you accelerate.
“Arsenal were catching us up, and their team was good enough to go above us, there’s no question about that.”
Henry, who retired from football in 2014, netted an impressive 228 times in 377 appearances for Arsenal across two separate spells in his legendary playing career.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/6dClI3U