Thierry Henry: ‘England Legend Was Spoken About as a Top Player in Spain and France’

· GiveMeSport

Arsenal icon Thierry Henry revealed that former Manchester United and England legend Wayne Rooney was highly regarded in France and Spain.

For a certain era of Premier League football, trying to keep Thierry Henry quiet for 90 minutes was about as stressful as it gets for any defender.

The former Arsenal icon combined blistering speed with devastating technique, making him a nightmare for even the strongest defences. This type of attacker has a special place in football folklore; adored by their own supporters, but feared by opponents whenever they received possession close to the penalty area.

Henry once discussed another forward who shared many of those qualities - an ex-England international who intimidated defenders through his direct, relentless and highly effective approach, while also earning plenty of admiration in Spain and France.

Writing in The Sun in 2015 (via Daily Mail), Henry praised Manchester United great Wayne Rooney for the remarkable consistency he had shown, while encouraging the emerging England players around him to learn from his example .

> "You will only truly appreciate Rooney when he has retired. It's a shame but it's always like that.

> "I would absolutely urge all those youngsters in the squad, such as Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane, to watch and learn off Rooney from this day onwards.

> "To play well for six months or a season in football is nothing. To do so for over a decade like Rooney is extraordinary. I know what it takes and it isn't easy.

> "Trust me, people talk about him outside of this country. In Spain and France, he is appreciated as a top, top player."

Rooney was approaching the latter stages of his Manchester United career at this point, before eventually adding an FA Cup , a League Cup and a Europa League to his collection before his time at Old Trafford finally came to a close.

Those trophies added further weight to an already outstanding Manchester career - one packed with individual honours and major team success. Rooney collected five Premier League titles, as well as a Champions League , and he remains the club's greatest ever goalscorer .

GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Wayne Rooney ranks third in the list for the most goals scored in Premier League history with 208 in 491 appearances.

The former England and Manchester United striker is adamant they were nightmare supporters to play in front of.

Rooney's remarkable longevity may have worked against him in some respects. By the time he departed Manchester United at 31, he had spent more than a decade under intense scrutiny, giving supporters plenty of time to watch him develop from a fearless teenage sensation into an experienced leader and veteran.

That evolution was inevitable, yet it was not always properly recognised. Rooney remained highly effective, technically gifted and fiercely committed to football - he had simply moved beyond the explosive teenager supporters had first fallen in love with.

Former Welsh international Robbie Savage highlighted this in 2017 when discussing Rooney's physical decline and reduced playing time affecting perceptions of his career and legacy .

> "He gets hammered and yet he is Manchester United's and England's top scorer [at the time].

> "He is a professional, his work ethic is very good, you can see his temperament is still the same. When he gets a decision against him, he goes berserk. That is the same old Wayne Rooney.

> "The bottom line is that age and not playing regular games is catching up with him. He is not the player he was. But he is the most under-appreciated footballer we have seen in English football."

In the end, Henry's assessment proved to be remarkably accurate - appreciation did arrive, although it took time. Since retiring, Rooney has received much of the recognition his career warranted and now stands securely among the all-time greats in English football history .

Rooney would later admit he was in the wrong.

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