Marcus Rashford settles the Wayne Rooney vs Thierry Henry debate once and for all

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Barcelona forward Marcus Rashford has admitted that Thierry Henry was a better striker than Wayne Rooney.

That’s coming from someone who grew up idolising the Manchester United legend.

The clip, posted by ESPN FC on TikTok, sees Rashford take on the silent challenge format: stay quiet until you hear a player better than Wayne Rooney.

He breezes past Fernando Torres, Diego Costa, Sergio Aguero and Zlatan Ibrahimovic without a flicker, before Luis Suarez gives him some hesitation.

But of course it is Thierry Henry who finally gets him to break. Who else?

“Yeah,” Rashford concedes, before adding, “Suarez I’m a little bit like that,” gesturing a 50/50 with his hand. “But Rooney was my favourite growing up.”

Marcus Rashford admits Thierry Henry was better than Wayne Rooney

It’s worth remembering who is saying this. Marcus Rashford is a Manchester United academy product who came through watching Rooney at his peak.

For him to put Henry above his favourite player growing up, even reluctantly, says plenty.

And it is near impossible to argue with that conclusion.

Henry’s record at Arsenal — 228 goals, two league titles, an invincible season — remains one of the most sustained spells of individual brilliance the Premier League has ever seen.

The Frenchman was an incredible goalscorer, of course, but even more so a footballing force of nature, who even rival fans can’t conceal their admiration of him.

One true winner in the Wayne Rooney vs Thierry Henry debate

It goes without saying that Rooney’s own legacy is remarkable, and his status as United’s all-time top scorer means he will always command respect.

He has been one of the more generous voices in football media towards Arsenal, and has consistently backed Arsenal to win the Premier League title this season.

But Henry’s lethal combination of pace, technique, vision and goalscoring consistency puts him in a bracket that very few strikers in the history of the game can reach.

Even a die-hard Rooney fan, now playing his football at Barcelona and with no allegiance to Arsenal, cannot bring himself to put his idol ahead.

That, perhaps more than any statistic, is a hugely compelling argument for Arsenal fans.