Photo credit should read FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images
Photo credit should read FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images
Arsenal have a long history of having incredibly fast players.
Right from the likes of Cliff Bastin, Joe Mercer and Charlie George to the early years of Arsene Wenger’s era with Marc Overmars, Nicolas Anelka and Thierry Henry, many were absolutely rapid.
Even more recently, the likes of Hector Bellerin, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Gabriel Martinelli all possessed incredible pace.
However, one former Gunner rates himself higher than most of the names above.
Theo Walcott says he was faster than Arsenal legend Thierry Henry
Theo Walcott is one of Arsenal’s fastest-ever players.
The Englishman joined the Gunners for £12 million when he was still a teenager, and he went on to play nearly 400 games for Wenger’s side. He scored over 100 goals as well and is often severely underrated.
Walcott had a lot of great attributes in his game, but the best and most popular one was his blistering pace. Hardly anyone could keep up with him when he was fully fit.
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Now, in a video on ESPN UK, the former Arsenal number 14 was asked to compare his speed to some of the quickest names in the game, and he backed himself against many.
Walcott confidently claimed that he was faster than Henry, Aubameyang, Bellerin, Ousmane Dembele, Marcus Rashford, Leroy Sane, Micky van de Ven, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and even Ronaldo Nazario.
While talking about Henry, he said: “I’ve beaten Henry in a sprint test, so it’s me.”
About Ronaldo, he added: “Cristiano Ronaldo never faced me up. He never fancied it. Me!”
What Arsene Wenger once said about Theo Walcott and Thierry Henry’s pace
Henry was unstoppable during his prime because of his pace and power.
The legendary Frenchman is widely regarded as one of the fastest players in the history of the Premier League, and defenders back in the day were terrified of him.
Walcott, however, reckons he was faster, but is he right? Back in 2010, Wenger all but confirmed that the Englishman is faster than his compatriot.
He said, as per the Mirror: “Theo is the quickest player I’ve ever seen, whereas Thierry is a player who likes the ball more. But Theo is more direct.
“It’s difficult to compare the similarities. Is Thierry a replica of Theo? Is Theo a replica of Thierry? No. But they have in common tremendous pace, they are good finishers, and both are intelligent.”
Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images
Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images
Photo by Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Photo by Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC via Getty Images