Arsene Wenger missed out on signing ‘exceptional’ star at Arsenal, now he’s broken a Thierry Henry record

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Arsene Wenger had several transfer misses during his reign at Arsenal but, the former manager still lured some of the world’s best to North London.

Wenger wrote his name into Arsenal history and in the Premier League Hall of Fame with his contribution to the English game.

The Frenchman will forever be adored in N5 for his efforts, which span way beyond the list of silverware he won as Arsenal manager.

Aside from winning trophies and changing the game, Wenger paved the way for club legends to make their mark, with few as honourable as Thierry Henry.

• READ MORE: Record goalscorer and a double-winner poached from Spurs – Arsene Wenger’s top ten signings

Thierry Henry’s Champions League record broken by Kylian Mbappe

Henry spent eight luxurious years at Arsenal, becoming the King of North London as he departed as the Gunners’ record goalscorer.

Two Premier League medals, three FA Cups, 377 games and 228 goals is the mark Henry left in N5 but, it’s now become clear that one of the striker’s records has been surpassed quite marvellously by one individual.

In the Champions League round of 16 play-offs, Kylian Mbappe eclipsed Henry’s scoring record in the competition.

Mbappe strolled past Henry’s tally of 51 goals in 34 fewer games than the Arsenal legend, letting the football world know of the levels the new wave of superstars can reach.

Some consider Mbappe to be France’s greatest attacking talent since Henry, which is certainly the consensus for some, as Wenger traced the forward’s talent from very early.

Wenger tried to lure Mbappe to Arsenal before his transfer to Paris Saint-Germain but, the rising star remained in his homeland, noting another near miss for the Gunners.

Arsene Wenger desperately wanted to sign Mbappe at Arsenal 

Mbappe broke through at AS Monaco, just as Henry did at the start of his career, which in Wenger’s mind wrote the script for the attacker to one day sign for Arsenal.

The World Cup winner is on another trajectory, moving from PSG to Real Madrid in the summer, where he’s starting to come out of his shell.

Wenger was aware of Mbappe’s quality from the first time he saw the 26-year-old play, as he told CNN. 

“When I saw him the first time in the first period, I said: ‘It’s Pele,’ he has a combination of pace, intelligence, relaxed attitude to deal with stress. You cannot give that to people.”

The former Arsenal boss went on to describe Mbappe as ‘exceptional’, making it clear why he held talks with the player early in his career in an attempt to ship him to the Emirates.

“When a guy is a world champion at 20 years of age, has won championships – two or three already – what can you say? And the numbers don’t lie. He’s an exceptional football player and France is gifted to have him.”