Thierry Henry is seen by many as the greatest footballer to ever grace the Premier League. The Frenchman only has competition from Cristiano Ronaldo when it comes to being the division's finest-ever player.
However, not all of Henry's peers place him on the same pedestal. While Zinedine Zidane labelled his ex-France teammate the 'most gifted' player ever, ahead of Brazilian sensation Ronaldinho, those who have shared a dressing room with the former Arsenal man aren't all on the same page.
Especially when Nicolas Anelka - who was a brilliant forward in his own right - is being hailed as a better footballer than his compatriot. That was the claim of one of the superstar names Henry played alongside during his three-year stint at Barcelona.
'Thierry Henry Was Not at the Level of Anelka'
Barcelona icon Samuel Eto'o also claimed he was better than the Arsenal hero
Having found the net 175 times in the Premier League for Arsenal, making him the eighth-highest scorer in the division's history - Henry is heralded as the best foreign player to play in the English top-flight. However, his old Barcelona teammate Samuel Eto'o made the bold claim that another retired Frenchman was better.
That man was Nicolas Anelka, who played for Arsenal, Real Madrid, and Chelsea among a whole host of other clubs. A leaked video surfaced in 2022 of the Cameroonian striker speaking about Henry (per Mail Sport), in which he made the huge claim: "I think Thierry Henry was not at the level of Anelka."
Not only did the 130-goal Barca marksman think that journeyman forward Anelka was a level above Henry, but Eto'o also argued that he himself was superior to the Gunners legend. Continuing, he said:
"Titi was good, but I knew players. I preferred other players. In any case, he was not at my level. The luck or the bad luck that I had me, was not to play for France."
Eto'o and Henry played 57 times together after the latter's arrival at Camp Nou from Arsenal in the summer of 2007. The pair formed a formidable front three alongside an emerging Lionel Messi and were a vital part of Pep Guardiola's incredibly quick rise as a manager with the Spanish club.
Thierry Henry on 'Outstanding' Samuel Eto'o
Praised his former colleague for his role in UCL success
Samuel Eto'o and Thierry Henry
Henry was a lot more complimentary of Eto'o in a recent episode of The Overlap's Stick to Football show. The Frenchman appeared alongside the likes of Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher and Roy Keane and was glowing in his praise for the retired Cameroon international, saying: "Sam was outstanding, by the way. Sam, putting pressure, and my god, people always talk about his finishing and his this and his that."
He then went on to recall the sacrifice Eto'o made for the team in Barcelona's 2009 Champions League final win against English giants Manchester United. Henry pointed out:
"Sam was outstanding. Sam did something in the final; he went on the right alone and put Leo [Messi] in the middle because Leo started on the right. Watch the final again — Sam went alone on the right to defend Patrice Evra."
Statistics in this article are courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 31-05-25.