Thierry Henry wasn’t all about the goals at Arsenal, contrary to belief.
Being Arsenal’s record goalscorer would give away that Henry enjoyed finding the back of the net during his playing days.
While the Frenchman scored more goals than all in Arsenal’s history, it wasn’t the be-all and end-all to his game.
When thinking of Arsenal and goals, one would automatically think of Henry; however, the club icon actually preferred to do something else ahead of scoring.
Thierry Henry preferred to assist rather than score goals
Henry has criticised Arsenal’s attack this season, being more than qualified to comment on how Mikel Arteta’s squad can improve in the final third.
While strikers will look at Henry for advice and inspiration when it comes to finding the net, the World Cup winner admitted that he prefers to envision himself as a creator.
That was Henry’s admission in 2022 when he spoke to former Premier League goalkeeper Ben Foster, revealing his ‘biggest quality’ when posed the question.
“Understanding that sharing is better than scoring,” Henry told Amazon Prime Video Sport.
“I’ve said it and I will say it loud and clear. I prefer my assists to my goals. Why? Because that’s what separates me from the others.”
The Arsenal legend continued by expressing his desire as a player to become the complete forward, concluding that he judges a striker on how they can help their team.
“I’m like, how can I change the game? I’m looking at it and I’m like, I’ve got to make people understand that the nine is not only the goalscorer.
“Can you bail your team out when they can’t help you? That’s how I judge a striker.”
How many assists did Thierry Henry record at Arsenal?
With 228 goals for Arsenal, it’s surprising that applying his name to a scoresheet was not Henry’s favourite pastime.
That being said, there’s an argument for the Frenchman when it comes to assists, still holding a Premier League record to this day.
No player has recorded more assists than Henry in a single Premier League campaign, with the tally sitting at 20, tied with Kevin De Bruyne.
In total, Henry recorded 96 assists for Arsenal in all competitions, with his most in a season being 23, coming in the 2002/03 campaign.
Looking at the Premier League alone, Henry sits 14th in the all-time assists charts with 74 during his playing days, level with Everton’s Ashley Young at the time of writing.
Very few would suspect that the Frenchman preferred to create over scoring himself, although it was his complete profile that made him so special after all.
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