‘I tried to copy everything from him’ – Thierry Henry names Dennis Bergkamp as most influential player
Thierry Henry has named former Arsenal teammate Dennis Bergkamp as the player who had the biggest impact on him during his playing career.
Henry and Bergkamp played together over a seven-year period between 1999 and 2006 when the latter retired from the game. They played for the Gunners together on 216 occasions and were notably prominent figures in Arsenal’s invincible season in 2004. They also won another Premier League together, as well as three FA Cups.
As well as making his mark in Arsenal’s history, Bergkamp also left his mark on Henry, who holds the Dutchman in high esteem. The Frenchman, who currently manages the France U21 side, and is also preparing to manage the U23 side ahead of this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris, told Le Parisien that no other player had the same impact as Bergkamp did on him.
“Are we speaking about mere mortals?” began Henry, who throughout his career also played with greats such as Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho. “Because there are some mad players. What I call ‘mad’ players are the monsters, like Messi, Zizou (Zinédine Zidane), Ronaldinho… these are the guys that can do anything on the pitch. But if we’re coming back down to earth, I think of Dennis Bergkamp. He always did what the game asked him to do. He taught me what it was to be a professional. I tried to copy everything from him. On the pitch, without speaking to me, he educated me,” said Henry.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle
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