When Thierry Henry speaks, you listen, and often, when he scored at Highbury, you applauded even as a rival fan because he was such a thrilling footballer to watch in action. You can come up with all the superlatives in the world to try and describe his hold on Premier League football, but his first spell with the Gunners was simply a case of you had to be there.
Sir Alex Ferguson claimed that Arsene Wenger’s job of ‘reinventing’ Henry turned Manchester United’s title rivalry with Arsenal toxic. Wenger converted him from a winger into a striker who could find the back of the net in the blink of an eye. There weren’t many clinical finishers who could stand toe-to-toe with the two-time European Golden Boot winner.
Henry was up there with the best forwards the game has ever seen, but he didn’t hesitate when asked which of his former teammates was the greatest finisher. He highlighted the goalscoring prowess of a fellow 1998 World Cup winner.
Thierry Henry: David Trezeguet Easily The Best Finisher
The Arsenal icon recalled his Euro 2000 winner
Henry is one of the best footballing minds to ask about goalscoring because it came naturally to him, including at Euro 2000, when France prevailed. The former Barcelona striker bagged three goals during the tournament in a star-studded Les Bleus team also featuring Didier Deschamps, Zinedine Zidane, and Patrick Vieira.
France triumphed in the final thanks to David Trezeguet’s incredible extra-time golden goal in a 2-1 win over Italy. Henry used that strike as an example of why his former teammate was the best finisher he’d come across (via Soccer AM):
“David Trezeguet (was the best finisher), over, easy. I’ve never seen (finishing) like that before in my life. Trezeguet is hands down the best finisher I’ve ever seen, and you know how much I love Dennis Bergkamp.”
Henry took a deep dive into Trezeguet’s Euro 2000 winner:
“The best example is people don’t understand the goal he scored in the final of Euro (2000) and how hard that is. He’s taking a step back to generate power with his left foot. If it’s me, I don’t know where the ball would’ve gone.”
Trezeguet was an instinctive finisher and a complete forward who, if given an opportunity, would find the back of the net nine times out of ten. He netted 34 goals in 71 international caps for France and was just as prolific at club level for Juventus and AS Monaco, firing them to two league titles in Italy and France.
|
David Trezeguet’s Goalscoring For Club and Country |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Team |
France |
Juventus |
AS Monaco |
River Plate |
Hercules CF |
Newell’s Old Boys |
|
Overall Appearances |
71 |
320 |
125 |
37 |
31 |
30 |
|
Overall Goals |
34 |
171 |
62 |
17 |
12 |
9 |
|
Left-Footed Goals |
8 |
38 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
|
Right-Footed Goals |
12 |
63 |
3 |
8 |
7 |
4 |
|
Headers |
6 |
43 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
2 |
|
Free-Kicks |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Penalties |
0 |
6 |
5 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
Kylian Mbappe Was Tipped To Follow Trezeguet
Didier Deschamps hailed a then-teenage Mbappe after 2018 World Cup win
Kylian Mbappe is France’s current talisman and will likely dominate world football for the next decade while wearing Les Bleus’ captain’s armband. He followed in Trezeguet and Henry’s footsteps when he won the World Cup in 2018, starring in Russia at 19 and winning the Young Player of the Tournament.
The 26-year-old has more than fulfilled his potential, winning seven Ligue 1 titles, becoming Paris Saint-Germain’s all-time top scorer and earning a move to Real Madrid in the summer of 2024. He seems a nailed-on Ballon d’Or winner, and a UEFA Champions League triumph can’t be far away.
France boss Didier Deschamps highlighted Mbappe’s World Cup triumph at a young age by comparing him to Trezeguet and Henry (via Evening Standard):
“Mbappe is only 19, I hope is a champion again, but 20 years ago David Trezeguet and Thierry Henry were only maybe 19 and they’d become champions again.”
The French have always been spoiled with prolific forwards who found finishing easy during their careers. Trezeguet’s peak came when Les Bleus boasted striker options such as Henry, Nicolas Anelka, Louis Saha, and Sylvain Wiltord, among many others. It would have been interesting to see him line up alongside Mbappe, given the pair’s different qualities that make them two of the most accomplished finishers in French football history.
All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt – correct as of 27/03/2025.
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