Arsenal legend Thierry Henry voted the Premier League GOAT ahead of Wayne Rooney

Arsenal hero Thierry Henry has been voted the best Premier League player of all time ahead of Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney.

Henry created an enduring legacy after his time in England, with the Frenchman thriving under legendary former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.

The 45-year-old ex-striker lifted two Premier League titles and two FA Cups during his Gunners spell, with Henry an integral part of Arsenal’s famed Invincibles side.

Henry won a record four Premier League Golden Boots during an impressive run that saw him scoring a staggering 228 times in 376 appearances for Arsenal.

SPORTbible took to Twitter and posted a readers’ poll asking for fans to have their say on the so-called GOAT of the Premier League era.

Henry featured in the first poll alongside Premier League all-time leading scorer Alan Shearer, United legend Cristiano Ronaldo and Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard.

The 1998 World Cup winner won the lion’s share of the vote and progressed to the final poll alongside Ronaldo, who finished runner-up in the initial poll.

Rooney won by a landslide in the other Twitter poll, while Chelsea legend Frank Lampard finished second ahead of Manchester City hero David Silva and Liverpool star Mohamed Salah.

For the final round of voting, Henry cemented himself as the undisputed Premier League GOAT by beating Rooney, Lampard and Ronaldo.

FINAL: Who is the greatest Premier League player of all time?

— SPORTbible (@sportbible) January 12, 2023

Speaking on his time at Arsenal, Henry admitted that his relationship with “father figure” Wenger wasn’t as smooth sailing as some might have expected.

“He was like a father figure for me. So, as you can imagine, with your dad, you argue, you scream, he punishes you,” he said during a Heineken campaign in 2020.

“Then, I want to show him the same relationship that you have with a dad: it’s complicated at times, sometimes it’s the best, sometimes we’re best friends, sometimes we’re worst enemies and we argue.

“But that’s what happens when you love someone. Because you care, that’s why you argue. But I’ll tell you, there are two guys -- since we’re mentioning Arsene.

“Arsene triggered my brain, and every day, it was something about my brain, about asking myself the right questions. And then you have Pep [Guardiola], who tactically triggered my brain.

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“So those two guys had a massive impact on me, but I cannot, obviously, talk about my career without Arsene, because I think one of the most important things in the world, not only in sport, is to trigger the brain of someone, to stimulate the brain of someone every single day.

“If not, it’s close to dying, if your brain is not functioning properly.”