Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp formed one of the greatest partnerships the Premier League has ever seen.
For years, the two Arsenal legends terrorised defences together and played a huge role in one of the most successful periods in the club’s history.
There is so much mutual admiration between them too. Henry has previously named Bergkamp as the best player he ever played with, while the Dutchman has returned the compliment on numerous occasions.
That is why many supporters would probably assume Bergkamp was also Henry’s favourite teammate. Surprisingly, that honour belongs to somebody else.
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Thierry Henry says Patrick Vieira is his favourite teammate of all time
Thierry Henry shared dressing rooms with some of the greatest footballers of his generation.
At Arsenal alone, he played alongside the likes of Dennis Bergkamp, Robert Pires, Sol Campbell, Freddie Ljungberg and Gilberto Silva.
He also spent time with world-class players at Barcelona and with the French national team.
That makes this question far more difficult than it sounds. Most players would struggle to separate so many incredible teammates.
For Henry, however, the answer came quite easily.
When asked to name his favourite-ever teammate, the Arsenal icon immediately turned to a player he shared countless battles and triumphs with – Patrick Vieira.
The pair won Premier League titles together, went unbeaten as Invincibles and helped establish Arsenal as one of the dominant forces in English football. They achieved immense success with the French national team as well.
Speaking when asked who his favourite teammate was, Henry said on CBS Sports: “The one that I played the most with, it’s simple, Patrick Vieira.”
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Patrick Vieira may be the most important teammate Thierry Henry ever had
It is easy to understand why Henry chose Vieira.
While Bergkamp supplied the magic in the final third, Vieira was the man who made Arsenal tick.
The French midfielder could do everything. He dominated games physically, controlled the tempo, inspired teammates and dragged Arsenal through difficult moments when things were not going their way in the Premier League.
Many people view Henry as the face of Arsene Wenger’s greatest team, but Vieira was arguably the heartbeat of it.
That is why so many former teammates speak about him with such admiration. When Arsenal needed somebody to lead, Vieira was always the one who stepped forward.
For Henry, that combination of leadership, quality and shared memories was clearly enough to make Vieira his favourite teammate of all time.
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