Thierry Henry was not only one of the very best footballers of his generation, but the Frenchman has also carved out a career as a successful and knowledgeable pundit in his post-retirement life. When the Arsenal legend speaks, people listen.
That's because he not only earned the right as the Premier League's best-ever player, but also with the incredible way he articulates his points about the beautiful game. Henry was set the extremely difficult task of naming his all-time dream five-a-side team during an episode of Jamie Carragher's 'The Greatest Game' podcast in 2019.
Instead of picking a team from his generation, the 47-year-old opted to pick his top five 'football legends'. He claimed it would have been difficult to pick the players he played with and against, ruling out the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. So, below are Henry's top five footballers of generations gone by.
Diego Maradona
Argentina
When it comes to the football landscape before Messi and Ronaldo burst onto the scene, Diego Maradona had a significant claim to be the greatest football player to have ever lived - and still does to this day. The magical Argentine paved the way for Messi in many ways, with his silky dribbling and out-of-this-world ball control leaving defenders embarrassed regularly.
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Carragher just had to ask Henry for his take on the eternal debate about who was better between the two compatriots. The retired striker waxed lyrical about Maradona's impact on him as a child, while also crediting his ex-teammate Messi:
"Maradona is difficult. Why? Because he was in the first World Cup I experienced, so you're always going to remember your first. It was ridiculous and he's always going to inspire me more [than Messi] because I was a kid. But Leo is a joke."
Pele
Brazil
The other man in the debate as football's GOAT before the 21st century was Brazilian icon Pele. From World Cup hat-tricks as a teenager to becoming the all-time leading goalscorer in the sport - a record that was only bettered decades after he retired - the forward was truly one of a kind.
Henry didn't bat an eyelid at including Pele alongside fellow South American Maradona. After all, there aren't many players who could ever boast three World Cup titles, all while being the main man for perhaps the greatest national team ever seen. An inevitable goalscorer, Pele will always be cemented in debates about the finest to ever grace the hallowed turf.
Johan Cruyff
Netherlands
Three-time Ballon d'Or winner and all-round genius, Johan Cruyff, was the next name out of Henry's mouth. The two icons shared incredible respect for one another, with the Dutch icon even claiming Henry should've won the Golden Ball at some stage in his career.
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The Dutchman continued to display his remarkable football alchemy even after retiring, assembling a greatest-ever lineup devoid of Messi and Ronaldo.
There may have never been a more intelligent footballer than Cruyff, who went on to be just as successful as a coach as he was on the pitch. For anyone who ever saw the elegant and graceful artist at work as a player, that's an almost unfathomable achievement.
Franz Beckenbauer
Germany
Another man with an incredible mind for the beautiful game was the greatest defender of all time - and ex-West Germany international - Franz Beckenbauer. The height of his career came in the 1960s and 70s as a key part of Bayern Munich's backline.
Beckenbauer was a trailblazer for the sweeper role, as he seamlessly swept up any danger and elegantly progressed from the back, just as a modern-day centre-back is expected to do. The German was generations before his time in terms of the way he viewed and played the game before, like Cruyff, finding success in the dugout. He won the World Cup as a player and a manager, which is about all the justification Henry would need to include 'der Kaiser' in his five football legends.
Michael Laudrup
Denmark
While the four previous names are always recognised as the greats of their generations, and in football history, Henry's final pick isn't necessarily involved in those conversations. Michael Laudrup represented huge clubs in his career, such as Juventus, Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Henry made sure to give enormous credit to the Danish icon, handing out even more praise to him than any of his other selections. Dubbing the Dane the best number 10 in the game's history and the most underrated player ever, Henry said:
"I do not understand. If there is a player who is underrated, it's him. Those who talk about football and who go deep recognise it to its true value, but almost nobody remembers when asked which number 10 has the most marked. Michael Laudrup was a monster.
"He was the best 10, and by 10 I mean the one who makes his team play. Too many players in history have had the number 10 and only think about scoring.
"Laudrup ... my god. The passes he made. On the ground, he broke two lines, and it is as if the ball slowed when she saw the attacker."
Statistics in this article are courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 08-07-25.