Gael Clichy says former Arsenal teammate is the only one up there with Ronaldo and Messi

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Gael Clichy played with some world-class stars throughout his career, and he has now admitted that Arsenal legend Thierry Henry was one of the best he’s ever seen.

The defender joined Arsenal in 2003 as Arsene Wenger signed him as a youngster from Cannes, and he would go on to play for Manchester City and France.

Clichy played alongside Henry, as well as other top stars including Sergio Aguero, Dennis Bergkamp and Franck Ribery, but has now claimed that none of the others were close to the striker in terms of stature.

Gael Clichy praises influence of Arsenal hero Thierry Henry

Speaking to Arsenal club media, Clichy claimed that even some of Europe’s other biggest superstars could not match Henry in terms of legacy, ability and influence.

“I knew him from the moment he was the best player in the world,” he stated.

“When I joined, this guy was not just a superstar, but the idol of my generation. He’s from the West Indies too, like me, so you can’t even imagine what it meant to me to be there.

“Then even more so to reach a certain level, because he is demanding it from me. When people don’t know him, it’s easy to class him as arrogant, but he’s not. I class him with Ronaldo or Messi.

“When I used to play at Highbury or the Emirates, I knew that the fans were not paying to come and watch Gael Clichy, they were coming to watch Thierry Henry.

“Back in the day you had to be somebody special to get that affection, and he’s that type of guy. Zidane, Ronaldo, Michael Jordan – Thierry is one of those. He was a talent of his generation and not everyone can be there.”

Thierry Henry’s legacy as a footballing legend

Henry is arguably the greatest player in Premier League history, and alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham, is perhaps the most famous superstar to ever have graced the league.

Even beyond his Arsenal exploits, Henry was a World Cup winner with France, and a Champions League winner with Barcelona.

His style would influence a whole generation of centre-forwards, and even 20 years after he led the Invincibles to an undefeated title, his iconic side-foot finishes are still marvelled at to this day.

Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are arguably the two greatest players ever, well ahead of Henry, but Henry’s legacy and overall impact on football has made him immortal in the eyes of his fans.